Ghost from the Past
by Justicerocks
Summary: Mike and Connie moved their family from New York to Los Angles to escape a harrowing ordeal. What happens when someone from their past shows up and threatens to take all of their happiness away?
1. Chapter 1

**A\N 1:** So my good friend **Hazell'd** (who has written a number of Law & Order stories) decided we wanted to co-write a story together. This story is a sequel to my story "The Right Fit". We're going to for the most par alternate writing chapters. For example Hazell'd wrote this chapter (so she'll write odd number'd chapters) and I'll write chapter 2 (so I'll write even number chapters). However there are a fee really big chapters that we're planning that we'll both contribute on. When I post those chapters I'll put a message in the authors note about that. Also all of the ideas in the story are shard and used by both of us. I hope you enjoy this first chapter. It takes place four years after my story ended.

 **A\N 2:** This story will mainly be about Connie, Mike & their kids. However you might see other Law & Order characters you recognize (Jack) and some Law and Order SVU and Chicago Justice Characters. In this story Mike and Connie are good friends with Peter Stone and his wife Anna. Peter Stone and Anna Valdez were characters on Chicago Justice. Now Peter is on Law & Order: SVU.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own anything you recognize.

 **Spoilers:** None

 **Warinings:** None

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

"Daddy? Daddy you awake?"

The whispered voice was slowly beginning to penetrate the fog of sleep that Mike Cutter was currently resting in. He had arrived home later than usual last night, finishing up some last minute things at his office after being in court all day in hopes that he would not need to think about work again until Monday morning. The twins had already been asleep when he got home, so he had been a little disappointed, but knew that the trade-off was a work free weekend. He was looking forward to enjoying a relaxing weekend with his family, but apparently that was not to include sleeping in this morning. The tiny hand that began to pat his cheek pulled him from sleep completely.

"Daddy?" the little voice called again, even closer this time. Mike opened one eye, only to find himself face to face with his four year old son.

"James?" he asked in a sleep-filled voice. The little blond head was just inches away from his own, his son's brown eyes wide. "What's wrong kiddo?"

"Daddy I'm hungry," James answered as he began to climb up on the bed. Mike grabbed him to help him along, lifting him up to rest next to his mother. Connie was awake, too, Mike could tell from the smile on her face despite the fact that she had yet to open her eyes.

Mike propped his head in his hand and regarded his youngest son. Of all four of their kids, James was the perfect mix of his parents with Mike's fair hair and Connie's dark eyes, while his twin sister Claire was their mother made over. Andy was like a carbon copy of his father, while Maddie favored her father only with her eyes and hair color. "Hungry, huh?" Mike said quietly. "Are your sisters and brother up yet?"

"Claire and Andy are up, but not Maddie," James told him. Mike wasn't surprised. The twins were almost always up with the sun. Andy had baseball practice this morning, and was making good use of the alarm clock he had gotten for Christmas. But Maddie at almost fifteen was a typical teenager who stayed up too late at night and slept in the next morning on the with everything she's been through, Connie often reminded Mike, if sleeping the morning away is the worst we have to deal with from our teenage daughter I think we're doing okay.

Not long after Maddie's harrowing ordeal back in New York, Maddie's biological mother Melissa had suddenly reappeared in her life, just long enough for Maddie to realize that Connie was already more of a mother to her in the few short years she had known her than Melissa had been for Maddie's entire life. After that, Maddie had no trouble at all calling Connie "Mom," and their relationship had only grown closer. Though Maddie and Andy were not biologically Connie's children, Mike knew she loved them as if they were her own, no different from the way she loved James and Claire.

"Alright bud, give your mom a kiss good morning and head on down to the kitchen. I'll be there in just a minute," Mike said quietly. He watched as James rolled over to his other side, placing his small hand on Connie's cheek this time.

"Hi Mommy," he whispered

"Hi, my boy," Connie whispered back. "Did you have a good sleep?"

"Yes," he answered. "Will you come down with Daddy, in case he can't find the tan sugar?"

Connie laughed quietly, catching Mike's eye over their son's head. They had been working on colors, letters, and counting with the twins to reinforce what they were learning in preschool. Sometimes James had a very literal take on the world. "Yes, I'll come help Daddy find the brown sugar for your oatmeal." She leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

As she pulled back Mike began to tickle their son. "Do you really think I'd forget the brown sugar? That's the best part!" Mike told him, as he lifted James over to set his feet solidly on the floor next to their bed before the little boy took off toward the stairs, shrieking with laughter. They heard his bare feet slap against the hardwood of the hallway, then thump down the stairs. Mike turned back toward his wife, leaning close to press his lips to hers. "Good morning," he said with a smile as their kiss ended.

"Hmm, good morning," Connie answered, returning his smile and his kiss. "What's on the agenda for today?"

Mike thought for a moment. "Andy's got batting and baserunning practice this morning." Andy had been selected for a travel baseball team a few months ago. Mike was almost as excited as his son. "I can take James with us, and then we'll meet you and the girls at your sister's for lunch."

"Sounds like a plan," Connie agreed, leaning close to kiss him one more time. She started to pull away, but Mike reached out, placing a hand on her cheek to hold her close. Until…

"Mom, Dad!" they heard Andy call from downstairs, "James is trying to climb on the counter!"

Mike sighed, letting his forehead rest against Connie's for just a moment. "He's trying to find the brown sugar."

They both moved out of bed, Connie bypassing into the bathroom as Mike headed towards the stairs. He stopped to knock on Maddie's door as he passed it, knowing it would take at least two more times before the teen would finally emerge from her room for the day. "Maddie, I'm starting breakfast," he called.

Mike waited just long enough to hear a faint, " 'Kay," from his oldest child before he made his way toward the kitchen.

* * *

Mike and James sat side by side on the bleachers inside the Los Angeles Xtreme Baseball facility. Andy had been in heaven when he was invited to join the 10 and under travel baseball team after tryouts last fall. He had spent most of the winter attending the weekly clinics that focused on speed and agility training, infield awareness, and proper throwing and catching techniques. It took no time at all for Andy to fit right in with most of his new teammates. Mike loved that the focus of the travel baseball program was not so much on winning and losing, but more about teaching the fundamentals of baseball through proper training and hardwork. He knew that the schedule was about to get much more packed as the spring season was ramping up and actual games and tournaments were about to begin. Andy was already excited about the teams first travel tournament coming up soon. They would be heading to San Diego, which brought the added bonus of Jack being able to attend and giving them all a chance to catch up during the downtime they were sure to find at the weekend tournament. Jack had retired no too long after Mike and Connie had relocated to Los Angeles, choosing not to run for another term as District Attorney. As he told Mike and Connie, he'd had all the politics that he could stomach for one lifetime. He decided that the west coast was calling to him, as well, more due to the fact that his daughter and granddaughter were there than anything else.

Mike's phone suddenly buzzed, signaling an incoming email. He looked down, a smile spreading across his face as the message loaded. It was just a "hi, how are you," email from his friend Peter Stone. Peter and Mike had become friends when Peter was tapped to take Mike's place as the Executive Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan when Mike left the position. Mike, of course, knew Peter's father, Ben Stone, by reputation. Peter taking the job that had once been filled by his own father had been like coming full circle. As they worked together during the last few weeks before Mike officially left New York, he knew right away that Jack had made an excellent choice and that he would be leaving the homicide division in a good place in Peter's very capable hands.

As the two men got to know each other, they found they had many things in common beyond their work ethic, baseball being chief among them. With Peter being a former major league pitcher with the Cubs organization, the sport was always an easy topic for them to discuss. They also learned that they had both fallen under the spell of the dark-haired and dark-eyed beauty that they worked with. It was while Peter was still an Assistant State's Attorney in Chicago that he first met Anna Valdez. She was assigned as his second chair. Peter soon found himself enchanted by her, not unlike how Mike fell for Connie. When Peter took the job in New York, he asked Anna to come with him. And the woman who had, for so long avoided long term commitments and claimed to have no desire to get married or have a family, agreed in a heartbeat. They were married about six months after their move, welcomed a son who was now two, and had recently added a little girl to their family. Mike read through the message, seeing that Peter had told him that Anna would be sending the latest pictures of the baby to Connie, before he sent off a reply.

"Hey Daddy?" James called. "When do I get to play ball?"

Mike smiled at his youngest son, grabbing the bill of the baseball cap that he wore and giving it a tug. "Don't worry, buddy, your t-ball practices start soon." This placated the youngster, who then ran down to meet his brother as practice was ending and he was packing up his gear. Mike smiled again. James absolutely worshiped his older brother, and Andy was endlessly patient with him. He watched his boys together, saw as Andy took his batting helmet and placed it on his little brother's head. James then took off running around the bases, the too-big helmet rocking back and forth on his head making him look a little like a bobble head toy. Andy and some of his teammates and coaches were waiting at home to slap their unofficial team mascot with high fives as he crossed the plate. Mike was filled with pride in watching his two boys enjoying the game that he also loved.

Andy and James finally made it over to where their dad was waiting, Andy's bat bag slung over his shoulder. They headed toward the car, Mike reminding the boys when they started making rumblings about being hungry that they were on their way to their Tia Elena's for lunch.

* * *

While the boys were enthralled with all things baseball, the ladies of the Cutter family were also spending their morning together. Maddie had, at last, made an appearance at the breakfast table just as Mike and the boys were leaving for Andy's practice. She sat down at the table, giving Connie a genuine smile when she placed a steaming bowl of apple and cinnamon oatmeal in front of her. As she dug in, Maddie realized that Connie had cut up an apple to add to her oatmeal, something that she knew her step-mother only did for her since the rest of the kids preferred brown sugar. "Thank you Mom," Maddie told her.

Connie smiled in return as she joined Maddie at the table. "How late were you up last night?" Connie asked.

Maddie ducked her head just a little. "I'm not sure," she said. "I was talking to Aislynn on Snapchat and watching a movie, and I fell asleep, but I'm not sure what time." Maddie decided for now to leave out the little detail that she was also chatting with Brenden, a boy from her history class at school. After all, it was nothing important, they had barely talked at all, and had only exchanged a handful of text messages. They were really just friends, but Maddie liked him. A lot.

Connie just shook her head. Maddie was getting older, to be sure, and Mike especially was struggling with it. They had spent lots of late nights talking about it. Connie completely understood how difficult it was for her husband to not be overprotective of their oldest child, especially considering all that she had been through with her abduction and rape four years ago. Maddie was, without question, traumatized as anyone would be. It had prompted their family to choose to relocate to the other side of the country to give them all, but most certainly Maddie, a fresh start far away from the horrific memories of her assault.

It turned out that the move, along with continued counseling, was just what Maddie needed. She flourished in Los Angeles. Connie's family had adopted Maddie and Andy as their own, so she was surrounded by a strong support system of people who loved her. She was doing well in school, she felt secure. She didn't even mind her father's overprotectiveness. She actually kind of liked that he kept her close and watched over her so closely. They experienced a return to the close father-daughter relationship that they had enjoyed when she was much younger.

But Maddie was getting older now. The bad things that she had experienced in New York would always be with her, but as she had learned from her counselor, there was so much more to her. She had started high school, was even starting to think about college, even though school had never really been her "thing."

She was also starting to notice boys, really notice them. And she was aware that they were noticing her. One thing that she had inherited from her birth mother was striking good looks, and the knowledge that she could sometimes use those good looks to get exactly what she wanted from people. It wasn't something that she had done often, but she liked the feeling of power that she derived from the few times she had been able to smile at a boy and get him to buy her a soda or flirt with her on Snapchat. Her parents kept a pretty tight reign on her social media footprint, but she was beginning to find ways around their supervision. She knew they probably wouldn't be completely happy about it, but she really wasn't doing anything wrong. It's not like she was sending nude selfies or giving out her personal information to complete strangers. Her dad often liked to remind her that once you put something on the internet it was on there forever, but Maddie really felt like her social media use was pretty innocent.

Maddie finished up her breakfast, placing her bowl and spoon into the dishwasher. She headed upstairs to jump in the shower, bypassing into Claire's room where Connie was helping her get dressed to tell her she would be ready to head to Elena's in about a half hour.

* * *

Connie and the girls were already at Elena's by the time Mike and the boys caught up with them after practice. It took about two minutes after they arrived for Andy and James to join Claire and their cousins in the pool. Mike walked along the deck towards Connie, noticing Maddie stretched out in a lounge chair with her phone in hand and her earbuds in her ears. He was just about to go over and check in with her when Andy flicked water on her, prompting Maddie to set her phone safely out of the way before she jumped in the pool, enlisting help from the younger kids as she attempted to submarine Andy. Just when I think she's all grown up, Mike thought to himself with a smile, she reminds me that she still just a kid.

He found Connie and her mother sitting at a table on the deck. Mike squeezed his mother-in-law's shoulder as he passed behind her, then leaned in to kiss Connie quickly before sitting down with them at the table.

"How was practice?" Connie asked.

"Good. He did really well," Mike told her. "Hey before I forget, you will probably be getting new pictures of baby girl Stone sometime today."

Connie snatched her phone from the table, swiping the screen to display the pictures that Anna had sent her that morning. "Isn't she adorable?" Connie asked.

Mike smiled, nodding his head.

Connie placed her phone back down on the table as she turned to Mike. "Mom has something that she'd like to talk to us about. Something she wants to do for Maddie."

Mike's eyebrows raised as he turned to Maria. Connie's family had been so good to them. He had been so nervous making that first visit to meet the all for Christmas, but her family had accepted Mike and his kids with open arms. If Connie loved Maddie and Andy as her own biological children, Maria and Hector Rubirosa loved them just as if they were their biological grandchildren.

"I know that Madelyn's birthday is coming up soon, and that it will be her quinceañera," Maria said, referring to the fact that Maddie would be celebrating her fifteenth birthday. "In our culture, this is an important birthday for a girl. It marks the transition from childhood to becoming a young woman." Maria smiled over at both of them, "I would like to help you in planning her party."

Mike looked over at Connie, who was wearing a nervous smile. He actually had heard of the custom of the quinceañera before, having seen pictures from Connie's celebration when she was younger. The thought of such a celebration for Maddie had never really occurred to him, but he was honestly touched that his mother-in-law would want to make sure that Maddie had the kind of birthday party that she deserved.

Connie had been a little worried at how Mike would react to her mother's suggestion. She knew that he realized how important her culture was to her and her family. He took every opportunity to include aspects of it into their family, including encouraging all of the kids to learn Spanish.

At the same time, she knew her husband was still quite a reserved man. A quinceañera was not the small family party that they usually threw for their children. It would be somewhat of a production, with father and daughter in the spotlight many times. Connie just wasn't sure that Mike would go for that.

At the same time, though, Connie knew that Mike had a terrible time saying no to her mother. Maria Rubirosa had not just adopted Mike's children, she had adopted Mike as her own as well. Having been estranged from his own parents for his entire adult life, Mike would do almost anything for this woman who had so effortlessly welcomed him into her family.

Mike looked over at Connie, reaching out to take her hand, before looking back at his mother-in-law. "We'd be honored."

 **TBC**

* * *

 **A\N:** So, what did you think? Please leave a review and let us know.


	2. Chapter 2

**A\N:** Thank you so much to everybody who read or reviewed the first chapter of this story. It really means so much to both of us. I wrote this chapter and I really hope that you like this chapter.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

 **Spoilers:** None

 **Warnings:** None

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

The Meadowbrook Banquet hall had the license capacity of five hundred people. Even so, Mike and Connie didn't want anymore then three hundred people at Maddie's quinceanera. It was Maddie's party so they agreed to let her have final say on one hundred of the guests, the others having to be approved by Connie, Mike and Maria. So, on a Saturday afternoon when Andy was practising baseball outside and the twins were outside playing Connie, Mike, Maria and Maddie stated to plan the party. Maddie's birthday was in six weeks and by luck her birthday fell on a Saturday so that's when the party was going to be held.

"How about we make this easy and cross off every boy your age," Mike looked at the list of guess his daughter had compiled, "Or better yet any boy you're not related to." He added fearing she'd invite older boys to the party.

"Dad!" Maddie grabbed the paper back and frowned slightly, "You are aware one of the traditions is a slow dance between me and a boy right?"

"Yeah," After accepting Maria's offer for Maddie's party Mike had asked Connie questions about her party, he'd also done research of his own. He wasn't sure he liked all that was involved; especially as he had always been worried Maddie was just a little bit too much like her birth mother. He was afraid so much attention focused on her would cause her to make unwise decisions.

"Is that why there's a star next to Brenden's name?" Connie inquired, "Is he someone we should meet before the party?" Looking at the blush on Maddie's face she knew the answer was probably 'yes'. She and Mike had never had a rule about her with boys because Mike had always been reluctant to acknowledge the fact that his little girl was growing up.

"Brenden is Maddie's almost boyfriend," Andy walked into living room followed by James and Claire, "She has a crush on him. I don't like him at all! First of all he doesn't even like baseball! How can you date a guy like that?" Andy didn't understand his sister at all. Sure he was beginning to see the appeal of girls, and yes even found some to be cute. He was quite certain though he'd never date one that wasn't interested in baseball or at least sports in general, "He's an actor, he's in the school play."

"Andy," Mike looked at his son, although he was quite happy for the information he wondered where his son had gotten it from, "How do you know this?"

Andy sighed, "I know I'm going to get into trouble Dad," He admitted, "But I know this is worth it. Brenden isn't good enough for Maddie. I know because I hacked into Maddie's social media accounts a few months ago."

"You did what!" Maddie stood up and exploded she went to attach her brother but Mike stopped her, "Dad, Mom, you can't let him get away with that!"

"Andy…." Connie looked at her son wondering how he'd even do something like that in the first place. "You have a lot of explaining to do. You better start talking."

"Yeah," Andy nodded his head and began to explain how he'd found Maddie's list of passwords and used them to gain access to her accounts, "I did it because I love you Maddie," He added at the end of his rant, "That Brenden isn't good enough for you! You're way to pretty to be with him, he's a big jerk!"

"Andy," Maddie tried to keep her tempter in check, "Don't tell me who to like. Mom and Dad having access to my accounts is bad enough. I can't believe you did that. I think Mom and Dad need to start punishing you more," She frowned, she looked at her parents, "I don't do anything bad online, he's the one who hacked into my account. If you want to stop anyone from going online stop him!" She stood up, "And just so you know Andy the world doesn't revolve around baseball. You and Dad think baseball is so important but its not!" She stormed out of the room.

"Maddie!" Claire called after her older sister but the slam of her door showed even the four year old to leave her alone.

"After your baseball tournament next weekend you're grounded for a week. No friends, no TV, no video games and no going over to your cousin's Diego's house unless your father and I are both out. If you are over there you will be doing chores. You will also have more chores to do around the house. This isn't up for debate, now go up to your room," Mike told Andy, and the look in his father's eyes told Andy he shouldn't disagree.

"Hold on…" Connie called out, "Andy why did you tell us about all of this?" She asked. She knew her stepson very well. He was smart, calculated and never did or said anything unless he wanted to do something. He could have easily have kept this up without ever getting into trouble. She wanted to know why, and she didn't think it was because he was so worried about who his sister liked. There was something else going on.

"I don't like Brenden," Andy responded as he quickly fled the room. After doing more research on who his sister was talking to he needed a plan. He couldn't just explain it all to his parents, not without some proof or some evidence Maddie was in danger. Right now all he had was a hunch and that wasn't good enough. He alerted his parents to the problem and if they found out everything, then it would be better for everyone, if not he hoped he'd be able to figure something else out in time.

* * *

"Uncle Jack!" James and Claire ran up to there almost grandfather and attacked him with hugs. They both started talking to him at once and Connie needed to step in before they started arguing with each other.

"One at a time, Uncle Jack has all night. We're all happy to see him," Connie hugged her mentor."

Andy's first baseball tournament of the season was in San Diego. It was Thursday night and so Connie and Mike had arranged to meet him at a restaurant for dinner. After that Mike would be staying at a hotel with Andy and James for the weekend. Connie, Maddie and Clare going back to Los Angles and coming on Saturday and Sunday for the weekend games.

"Yes, and I'm very excited to hear about your baseball tournament Andy and of Maddie's party," Jack explained as the group got seated by a hostess and handed menus.

"Uncle Jack!" Claire tugged on Connie's hand, "I made you a picture," She began to lean over to look for it in Connie's purse but Connie beat her to it. Once she had it in her hands she handed it over to Jack "That's you and Mommy and Daddy beating bad people in court," She explained.

Jack laughed at the four year olds drawing, "Yes sweetheart I think it's a very good drawing. I hear you want to be a lawyer like Mommy and Daddy."

Claire nodded her head, "I'm so smart."

"Yes I think you are," Jack smiled and laughed again, "What have you been doing James?" He turned to Claire's twin and asked.

"Colours," James frowned, "They're confusing."

"He's been having a little bit of a hard time learning and recognizing colours," Mike explained, "But he's getting better. He knows his numbers and letters already, it's just colours and shapes he has a hard time with."

"And Andy's basically a hacker," Maddie informed him, "He hacked into all my social media accounts. He's not getting punished enough if you ask me…"

"Maddie," Connie warned, "Now isn't really the time. Why don't you tell Uncle Jack about your party? You have his invitation right?"

"Fine," Maddie took out the invitation from her purse and handed it over, "My quinceanera is going to be really cool."

"Well I'm honoured for the invite, I'd love to go," Jack smiled at took the card, "Now what's the idea of a quinceanera?" He wondered.

* * *

James stood in the dugout, his face pressed against the wire fence as he watched Andy pitch. It was the first game of the tournament and James was extra excited as he'd been giving his own uniform, a bating helmet that fit and he got to watch the game from the dugout.

The team had an app that allowed parents and other interested parties real time scores and events during the game. The travel league they were in provided the use of the app if the team had someone to input the data for every game. Since either Connie or Mike would be going to most games they had volunteered and Mike was quite happy about it. He loved being involved in this more technical aspect of the game. Since he needed to be in the dugout for the best view James got to come along as well.

"Yay Andy!" James cheered and jumped up and down as Andy struck out yet another batter on the other team, "Ha-ha you suck!" James yelled at the other player.

"James, that's not nice," Mike warned his on despite the boys on the bench laughing, "You need to be nice to the other team. I know it's hard to understand but that's the way it is."

James didn't want to leave the dugout so he nodded his head, "Okay Daddy," He turned his attention back to the game and watched with great interest. He simply loved baseball and ever since he was very young had been passionate about the game. As young as one year old he'd stop crying when baseball was on TV and sat through games and took everything in. It didn't hurt that neither Mike or Andy had any complaints about this and since Andy and his father were two of James' favourite people James' obsession only grew. He, much like his father and Andy loved the game and everything to do with it.

When Mike gave Andy and the other boy's pointers during the game James listned eagerly and stayed quiet. In fact he hardly stopped watching the game at all until the ninth inning when Andy was up at bat. There were two outs and the bases were loaded. Andy's team was down by one, if he could get a hit and get his teammates on third base and second base home they'd win the game. James had his hands covering his eyes as he said he was to nervous to watch, he was just peaking his eyes through as he saw his older brother get struck out and the other team win.

"No!" James shook his head, "That was a ball!" He yelled angrily.

"James, James," Mike picked up his son to calm him down, "That's enough," He told him sternly.'

While all of the boys on the team were upset they lost no one was more upset then Andy. He felt like he had let everyone down, like he should have been able to get that hit. He knew now if they wanted to win the tournament they'd need to beat the best teams in the tournament, and if they lost one more game they were eliminated. He barely ate anything at dinner and wouldn't talk to his father. That was when Mike had an idea. He quickly got out his cell phone and began to text Peter Stone. Twenty minutes later Peter's face appeared on Mike's laptop in a video call.

"Hey Andy!"

Andy's head popped up from where he was playing with James and he spun around, almost tripping over the checker game pieces, "Mr. Stone!" He rushed over to the lap top and grinned, "Hi." Andy loved his Dad's friend and when he had found out he used to play in the MLB he'd loved him even more. He asked him questions every chance he got.

"I heard you had a rough game today. You know I pitched pretty badly the first game of the World Series when we won. I was so nervous but by the time the last game came around I was more confident and did much better. You know the Cubs won the World Series that year."

"Yeah Dad kind of likes the Cubs because he's your best friend," Andy nodded his head, "I wish I could have seen you play. Dad did but he didn't even know you then. I wish he did."

"We've seen clips online of Mr. Stone playing," Mike reminded Andy, "Now, do you understand what he's saying? Baseball is a team sport and it's nervous when all the pressure is on you. Loosing today wasn't your fault and you can prove you can come back and win tomorrow."

"Maybe," Andy sighed and shook his head, "I should have known not to swing at that pitch."

"Well I know its not there with you but this might help," Peter showed him a baseball, "This is the baseball that won the World Series. I keep it on my desk and use it as good luck. The next time we see each other I'll let you hold it, but you need to promise to do your best tomorrow. I know you can play your best game."

"Oh that's so cool!" Andy looked at the ball, "Thank you so much Mr. Stone. When can I see it?"

"Maybe at Christmas," Peter laughed, "I think Anna and I want to get away from the cold. We might com down to Los Angles to visit."

"I miss Benji!" James piped up.

"Yeah, he misses all of you too," Peter spoke of his two-year-old son. He was named after his father, who Peter had a complicated relationship with all of his life. But moving back to New York meant trying to get to know his father. However he died of a heart attack just a few months after he arrived in the city. Soon after Anna had found out she was pregnant and when they found out it was a boy the name kind of stuck with them. For now he was called 'Benji' instead of 'Ben', which Peter's father went by his entire life. "And you need to meet Charlotte," He then spoke of his three week old daughter.

"She's adorable," Mike, mentioned, "She really looks like you and Anna."

"Can you come to L.A. for a baseball this summer?" Andy asked changing the subject back.

"I wish I could but I'm in the middle of a pretty big case," Peter explained, "The police are just starting the investigation plus I have lots of other work to do. I'm so sorry buddy. Maybe I shouldn't have told you about the baseball now you're going to ant to come and see it."

"I can wait," Andy smiled, "Thanks for talking to me. Dad, can James and I go to Josh's room now?" He asked. His best friend on the team Josh was having a party in his room and Andy no felt like going.

"Of course, just clean up your game first," Mike explained, "Tell Josh's dad I have about half an hours worth of work to do. Then I'll be back to get you for bedtime. If James gets to tired you bring him back here aright."

"Okay," Andy nodded and began to pack up the game with his younger brother's help. He then put the game away and took his brother's hand as they walked out of the hotel room.

The rest of the weekend turned out great; Andy played some of the best baseball he ever had which helped his team win the entire tournament. It also got scouts from some other programs to take notice of Andy and his pitching capabilities. Andy's talent was finally beginning to breakout and Mike and Connie couldn't have been prouder of their son.

 **TBC**

* * *

 **A\N:** Please review and let me know what you thought of the chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

**A\N:** Hi everyone! HazelI'd here with chapter 3! Hope you are enjoying our story. It's been lots of fun to write so far. Thanks to Justicerocks for letting me play in her universe for awhile.

 **Disclaimer:** Neither one of us own anything you recognize

 **Spoilers:** None

 **Warnings:** None

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Connie looked around the family room one more time before turning away to resume the search for her husband. She suspected that she would find Mike in the kitchen, sulking. Maddie and her honor court had descended on their house for pizza after their latest dance practice for the waltz that they would all be performing during Maddie's quinceanera. The boys were a little hesitant and unsure at first, but after a few practices they were all getting the hang of it.

Maddie had invited everyone over for pizza after this latest practice, ostensibly to talk about the dresses for the girls and the suits for the boys, but actually to give her father a chance to finally meet Brenden. Mike had not been able to make it to any of the other group practice sessions, so this was his first opportunity to see Maddie with the fourteen kids who would stand up with her during her fifteenth birthday celebration. Fifteen friends, actually. Seven couples and one boy to be Maddie's escort.

And that one boy was Brenden Relleke.

Mike was trying, he really was. Despite Andy's protestations that Maddie's "almost boyfriend" was not good enough for her, primarily because he had no interest in sports in general and baseball in particular, Mike had tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. It turned out that Brenden was a fairly proficient guitar player and had also earned one of the lead roles in the school play. Mike had gained a few points with his daughter when he pointed out to Andy that not everyone's talents lie in sports.

Brenden was polite enough, Mike supposed. He had a mop of dark hair hanging over his forehead, not quite covering his equally dark eyes. He was neither overly bossy within the group of teenagers currently taking over their house, but nor was he a doormat to his friends. He was not dressed in black from head to toe, and did not appear to be terribly sullen or moody. Mike couldn't see any glaringly worrisome personality traits or future convict tendencies in the young man. Hence, his retreat from the room.

Connie did, indeed, find Mike in the kitchen. He was standing at the sink, his back to her, rinsing some dishes. Connie came to him, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Are you hiding out in here on purpose?" she asked quietly.

She felt more than heard him sigh. Drying his hands on a nearby dish towel, Mike turned to look at her. "I'm not hiding out," he protested half-heartedly. "Not really."

Connie just smiled, shaking her head, before diving headlong into the subject she knew he was holed up in the kitchen trying to avoid. "Well, what did you think of Brenden?"

Mike looked away at that point, and moved to begin wiping down the counter with the dish towel he still held, then organizing the oven mitts next to the stove. Without meeting Connie's eyes he finally just shrugged. Connie knew immediately what that meant. She had seen it before from him in court. He wanted desperately to make an argument, but just couldn't come up with any plausible points to argue.

"Alright, so he's not terrible, I guess," Mike grudgingly confessed. He finally met Connie's eyes as he continued, "I know the whole point of this is supposed to be Maddie's introduction to adulthood, but I'm just not sure she's completely ready to be an adult." He paused for a beat before adding quietly, "I know I'm not ready for it."

Connie came forward and hugged him. "Oh honey, remember this doesn't mean that we're ready to pack her up and send her off on her own, or just because she's dancing with that boy that she's going to run off with him."

"I know," Mike agreed, sliding his arms around her waist, "but I also know Maddie. She's come a long way in the last few years, but she can still be so stubborn and impulsive."

"That's why she's got us," Connie countered. "Turning fifteen doesn't mean she has to magically figure everything out, or that she's going to stop needing us." Mike nodded, knowing his wife was right. "Look, think of it this way, those kids could be out running amok right now, but they're here in our family room, demolishing a truckload of pizzas after spending an hour practicing a dance that's been around since the sixteenth century, all because Maddie asked them to. They must think pretty highly of her. And most of these kids and their families we have known for four years now. They are good kids."

Mike gnawed on his bottom lip and nodded, thinking to himself, this is why I never want to face her in court. Connie was more adept than anyone he had ever known at crafting a convincing argument. He shrugged before admitting quietly, "You're right. They're just dancing after all, and it's not like we won't be there through the whole thing."

"Right!" Connie agreed. "Listen, do you know how hard it is to get teenage boys to dress up and agree to dance in public, even with the promise of free food and cake? I had a terrible time getting boys outside of my family for my court when I turned fifteen."

"Oh really?" Mike smiled, pulling her closer. He took her right hand in his left, curling their arms together until their joined hands rested near his heart. Mike began a slow dance with her around their kitchen. "I would have danced with you," he whispered, brushing his lips against hers.

Connie returned his kiss, but as she pulled away, her smile was pure sass. "Is this the point in the story where I remind you that you were in law school when I celebrated my quinceanera?"

Mike narrowed his eyes at her for just a moment before throwing her back into a low dip. Connie giggled joyously as Mike pulled her back into his arms, kissing her deeply.

"Ugh, please!" they heard Maddie's voice from behind them as she entered the kitchen. "Please do not do that in front of any of my friends," she said, grabbing a few sodas from the refrigerator. As she turned to head back to the family room, they heard her muttering, "My family is so weird."

* * *

Connie sat on the overstuffed couch outside of the dressing room in Laurel's House, the dress shop where Maddie was currently putting on her quinceanera gown. Claire was standing on the slightly raised platform, twirling in circles and watching her multiple reflections in the three full length mirrors in front of her. Claire had just finished "modeling" her own dress: a beautiful sky blue dress made from Jacquard material with a delicate floral design. The dress fell right at Claire's knees with the cutest bow attached to the left shoulder. They had also found a pair of beaded pearl ballet flats to complete the outfit. Claire was beyond excited to finally have her "big girl" party dress that was the same color as her sister's, and Maddie had to admit - she did look pretty adorable.

Connie's attention was drawn away from her dancing little girl as the door to the dressing room slowly swung open. Maddie glided out gracefully, a hesitant smile on her face.

"Wow," Claire said as she jumped off the platform and joined Connie on the couch. "Mommy, Maddie looks like Cinderella."

Connie had to agree. Maddie did resemble a fairy tale princess. The dress she had chosen was a gorgeous light blue ball gown with a sweetheart neckline delicately embroidered with beaded floral embellishments in pastel pink, lavender, and white along the bodice that we're also mirrored in the full, tulle-lined skirt. Maddie's favorite part had been the lace up, corset style back. She looked over at Connie and bit her lip, raising her eyebrows in question. "Well?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh Maddie," Connie breathed, "you look beautiful sweetheart."

Maddie smiled, then turned to step up on to the platform that Claire had just been twirling on moments before. She looked at herself in the mirror, turning from side to side as she studied her reflection. She caught her stepmom's eye in the mirror, then turned and stepped off the platform to hug her. "Thanks Mom."

A half hour later they were on their way back to the car, one small and one large garment bag in tow. They had a few more stops to make, namely to pick up the high heeled shoes that Mike would present to his daughter during her birthday celebration. Maddie had found the perfect pair at a little boutique called Individual Medley that she and some friends had visited right after she had asked them to be part of her honor court.

As Connie took care of the purchase of the shoes, Maddie browsed around, being mindful of Claire's curious hands to make sure she didn't get into something she shouldn't. She found a beautiful pair of gold hoop earrings along with a necklace depicting a sunrise. She was admiring them as Connie joined them. "That's pretty," Connie said.

"I love it,". Maddie agreed. "There's so much cool stuff here. I wonder if they'd let me set up a gift registry for my quinceanera gifts," Maddie said, only half joking.

Connie's eyes narrowed just a bit. Maddie had made comments like this before, and they were happening more frequently the closer they got to her birthday. "You know Maddie," Connie cautioned gently, "it's not really all about the gifts and presents and things you'll get. Remember what Grandma Maria said, this will be a momentous and memorable birthday, your journey from childhood to maturity."

Maddie just shrugged. "I know," she said, then smiled, "but it's my birthday, too, so I'm probably going to get some pretty cool stuff. And with so many people coming to the party, I will really be packing in the presents!"

Connie just nodded as they began to make their way out of the store. She had put it off as long as she could, but now she knew, Maddie's "material girl" ways was something that she really needed to discuss with Mike.

* * *

Connie didn't have a chance to talk to Mike until later that night. The younger kids were asleep, and the older kids were in bed, supposedly each reading a book but they knew it was more likely that Andy was immersed in his latest Batman comic book and Maddie was more than likely glued to her phone.

Connie tapped on the door frame of Mike's at home office. "Can you take a break for a minute?" she asked.

He smiled, laying down the pen in his hand and pushing himself away from his desk. "For you, anytime." Connie came forward and perched on the edge of the desk in much the way she used to do when they still worked together before they were married. Mike noticed, however, that she wore a troubled look. "What's up?"

Connie began to recount their visit to the boutique that day. She could see Mike's jaw clenching as she finished by telling him about Maddie's idea of a gift registry for her party.

"Dammit!" Mike cursed as he rose from his seat and began pacing the length of the room. Connie just watched him as he stalked back and forth in front of her. "How did this happen?" he asked. "How did she get like this?"

Connie remained silent, trying to think of the most diplomatic way to say it was all due to her mother. Finally she pointed out, "She does receive some pretty extravagant gifts from Melissa."

Mike stopped, met her eyes for just a moment before letting them drop to the floor. He knew Connie was right. Maddie really and truly was a good kid, but her eyes were definitely easily swayed by things. Having things, making sure everyone was aware that she had the latest and greatest was important to the teenager. And while Mike and Connie rarely indulged her, Maddie's birth mother often did. And while Maddie knew that her extravagant gifts were nothing more than an attempt to buy her love, she took them just the same.

Mike suddenly looked up at Connie again. "Any money she gets for her birthday is going straight into her savings account," he told her. "Or better yet, half of it will go to the bank and for the other half we'll tell her she's going to pick a charity to donate it to."

"And I'll tell all of the family that gifts aren't necessary, or if they really want they can make a charitable donation in Maddie's name," Connie added.

Mike came to her then, taking her hand. "She's going to push back against us, you know that right?" Connie just nodded. Mike let at a deep sigh, suddenly feeling very tired. "Someday she'll appreciate us, right? All the things we do for her."

Connie slid off her perch on his desk, taking him in her arms. "She appreciates us. She loves us. And someday she'll be grateful for everything we've done for her," she pulled back and looked at him, "and for all the things we don't do for her, too. Kids outgrow clothes and toys and stuff. They don't outgrow time and love."

* * *

The next day it was time for the gentleman of the Cutter family to get their wardrobe in order for the upcoming party. Even though his only job at the party was to participate in a family candle ceremony, Andy very glad that the rest of the boys on the honor court had made the small request of dressing in nice suits rather than full on tuxedos, and that Maddie had acquiesced. He knew how his sister could be when she didn't get her way, but he also knew how easily she could be swayed by her friends.

And in all honesty, that's what bothered Andy most about some of what he had discovered when he looked at Maddie's social media. Most of it was goofy teenage girl stuff, plans to sneak into R rated movies or take makeup to put on once out of the house and away from home when hanging out with her friends. There were lots of weird posts back and forth with Brenden where Maddie was pretending to be a little more interested in things like Eric Clapton and musicals like Hamilton and Rent than Andy knew she really was.

But there was one batch of messages that Andy found that had bothered him the most. First off, he didn't recognize the sender as one of Maddie's friends. Second, the guy (Andy was assuming here) seemed to be older and asking Maddie a lot of weird questions. He knew she had heard all of the same lessons at school during Digital Citizenship week that he did. Even as just a fifth grader they were told over and over: Don't share personal information, don't talk to people you don't know.

But Maddie seemed to be doing both. Not giving out her phone number or address, but she had answered a lot of questions that this guy had asked about their family.

"Daddy, can we get some pretzels?" his little brother's voice interrupted his thoughts. They were on their way out of the mall, but his dad had made the rookie mistake of parking on the side of the building that forced them to walk through the food court to exit. Connie always parked on the opposite side of the mall.

Within minutes, Mike had them all situated at a table in the food court, munching on pretzel sticks and washing them down with lemonade. James couldn't have been happier, but as he looked over at Andy he saw a troubled look on his son's face.

"Hey Kiddo," Mike questioned, "something bothering you?"

Andy opened his mouth to speak, but then stopped. He had managed to avoid anymore groundings since his first confession about hacking into Maddie's social media accounts. Part of him worried that bringing it up again might throw him right back into the hole he had just climbed out of. Maybe he should try a different approach this time. "Did you and Mom ever check out Maddie's Snapchat?" he asked.

Mike nodded his head. "Yes, we did," he reassured him. "And I'm assuming you have not looked at her personal accounts anymore, correct?"

"Correct," Andy agreed. "How about her email?" Andy investigated further.

"Yes, we looked at everything," Mike reassured him again. "Listen, I know your sister is getting a lot of attention right now, but you don't need to try to get her in trouble."

"I'm not!" Andy immediately protested.

"Because your turn will come, you know," Mike told him, "Although I'm not sure if boys get as big of a birthday bash when they turn fifteen as girls do."

Andy just shook his head. "Can we just get a suite at Yankee Stadium for my birthday?" he asked.

Mike had to laugh. He reached over and ruffled Andy's hair. "It certainly might be cheaper."

* * *

Mike looked around the ballroom, a contented smile on his face. Maddie's party was well underway, and it appeared that everyone was having a wonderful time. As Mike thought back over the events of the day thus far, he had to admit, everything was going perfectly according to Maria, Connie, and Maddie's plans. Even the service at the church, which was the part that Maddie was a little hesitant about, was just beautiful. In the early planning stages of Maddie's quinceanera, Maria made it very clear that the service at the church was as important, if not more important, than the party itself. Luckily for both of them, as much as Connie's parents celebrated and revered the traditions of their Catholic faith, they also understood that this was not the same faith that Mike had grown up in or raised his older children in. They all agreed that a non-denominational ceremony might just fit the bill for everyone. As the individual aspects of the ceremony began to take shape, Maddie's hesitation lessened, especially as her grandmother took the time to explain the meaning behind the different parts of the ceremony. Maddie was able to appreciate how important this part of the celebration was to Maria, and she wanted to honor that. And though she still tended to agree with her father - you don't have to go to church every Sunday to have a relationship with God, she thought that the church ceremony celebrating her fifteenth birthday really was beautiful and she found herself overcome with emotion at several moments throughout the service.

The festivities moved on to the Meadowbrook Banquet hall, and as Andy said, it was time to party! Maddie and her honor court were introduced to thunderous applause. The traditional quinceanera toasts were given. Maddie had initially agonized over the short thank you speech, but once she really sat down to think about what she wanted to say, the words just poured out. Dinner was enjoyed by the guests before the ceremonial parts of the quinceanera took place. Mike and Connie had taken the opportunity to catch up with Jack, as he joined them at their table for dinner. Some of the most beloved quinceanera traditions had already taken place: Maddie was presented with her last doll, symbolizing the final piece of her childhood, the last toy she would receive before entering adulthood. The beautiful porcelain doll bore a striking resemblance to her owner, all blonde curls and sky blue dress. As Connie presented Maddie with the doll, her words were heard by the entirety of the guests, but were truly meant for Maddie alone.

"I may not have been here for every moment of your childhood, but I will forever be grateful for these past few years, years when I have been given the opportunity to watch you grow into the beautiful, kind, and remarkable young woman that you are today. I am so proud of you Maddie." Connie held the doll out to Maddie, who took it before wrapping her arms around Connie.

"Te amo hija de mi corazón," Connie whispered in her ear, "I love you, daughter of my heart."

"I love you, too, Mom," Maddie whispered in return.

The music in the room changed, and the DJ called Mike forward. It was time for him to present his daughter with her first pair of fancy, high heeled shoes, followed by their father daughter dance. Connie met him with a smile, handing him the box holding the bedazzled heels that Maddie had found for her first pair of "grown up" shoes. Mike took the box from his wife with a smile before turning toward his daughter, who was now seated in a chair in the center of the room. Maddie smiled at her father as he dropped down to one knee and took one Converse Chuck Taylor All Star clad foot in his hand. He smiled, shaking his head at the turquoise blue canvas tennis shoe as he slipped it from his daughter's foot, replacing it with the baby blue satin high heeled shoe. Mike repeated the action with Maddie's other foot, then stood up, offering her his hand.

"May I have this dance?" he asked.

Maddie giggled a little as she stood up and took her father's hand.

The started to glide across the dance floor. As much as Maddie was into practicing for the waltz and the "surprise" dance that should would be performing with her friends later in the evening, she and Mike had only practiced dancing together twice. And though Maddie had limited experience with "slow dancing," her father, she discovered, was quite a good dancer. They moved together so fluidly. Mike smiled down at his daughter as the flashes from the cameras of many of their audiences illuminated the room around them. "Happy birthday sweetheart," Mike told her.

"Thank you Daddy," Maddie told him. "Thank you for everything. Thank you for letting me have this party. Thank you for always taking care of me. Thank you for loving me, even when I sleep half the day away."

Mike laughed, then shook his head. "I'm so proud of you Maddie." he told her. "You've been through so much, most kids couldn't have persevered the way that you have."

Maddie dropped her eyes. She didn't like to think about that bad memories, but as she had learned in counseling, those things would always be a part of her, of her story. Some things can't be fixed, they can only be carried. Maddie would always carry with her some of those struggles from her past: the assault to be sure, but the problems with her birth mother and the lasting effect that had had on Maddie.

Mike tilted Maddie's chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Madelyn, if it seems sometimes like I am being too strict, holding a little too tight, it's only because I love you so much. It's my job to protect you, and I know I haven't always done that. For a long time, when it was just you, me, and Andy," Mike paused here for a moment, dropping his own eyes away from his daughter's gaze. He took a deep breath then continued, "Nothing was more important than the two of you, and now the twins, too. I have always felt that way, and I always will."

"Daddy," Maddie said tremulously, tears gathering in her eyes.

"You know," Mike said, trying to change the subject, "the next time we're dancing together like this, will probably be at your wedding, on the day I give you away in marriage."

Maddie suddenly wrapped her arms around her father's neck. Mike held her close as everyone else in the room faded away, tears forming in his own eyes when he heard her whisper, "Please don't give me away Daddy. Not for a long, long time."

* * *

 **A\N 1:** So, what did you think of this chapter? Please take a minute to review. HazelI'd did an amazing job or researching Quinceanera's and all that they entail.

 **A\N 2:** So who is Maddie talking to online and what's going to happen next? Two hints 1) the man is the 'Ghost from the Past' in the title and was featured in at least one Law and Order episode 2) You'll find out for sure who it in the next chapter. In the meantime though we'd both love to hear your thoughts and theories,


	4. Chapter 4

**A\N:** So here it is, the crucial chapter to this story. I know it's rather short but I think it's very powerful.

 **Disclaimer:** We don't own anything.

 **Spoilers:** None

 **Warnings:** None

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

When Maddie thought back on her Quinceanera she had mostly good memories. Some of her favourites being all the fun she had with her friends and her dance with Brenden. She barely kept herself from going weak in the knees and squealing as he held her close as they danced. Afterwards he kissed her on the cheek, and she blushed and ran to her friends to talk about how cute he was. One of the things that still bugged her was how her parents had insisted she put most of the five thousand dollars she got in gift money into savings account she couldn't access until she was twenty-one. She donated six hundred dollars to a local children's charity and that still didn't seem to make her parents any less concerned about her. On one hand she could understand how her father wouldn't want her to turn out like her birth mother. She caused him a lot of problems over the years, and the truth was Maddie didn't want to turn out like her either, but it hurt her to think that her father wouldn't be able to love her if she did end up like that. She was a teenage girl. Wasn't she supposed to like clothes and the latest fashion trends? As she still didn't quite know what to tell her real-life friends about her birth mother and her problems, she found great comfort in talking to an online friend she'd started talking to recently. She had been talking to her friend online for a few months when she said her family was visiting Los Angles for a holiday and asked if they could meet up. They agreed on a park since they were both worried about meeting a stranger. A huge downtown Los Angles park turned out to be a great meeting place as Maddie was babysitting Claire and James for the day and they were currently in the splashpad enjoying the coolness of the water on a hot Los Angles summer day.

As Maddie watched her younger brother and sister play a man sat down beside on the bench, at first, she didn't pay any attention to him. Then a quick look at him told her exactually who he was and that she was most likely in danger.

* * *

 _Six years Earlier-New York_

 _As had Mike already gone into work early Connie was going to take the kids to school. That wasn't unusual, she'd done that a few times already, she came to the house just as Mike was getting ready to leave, he kissed her and promised her they'd figure everything out. They didn't want to tell the kids to much about what was currently going on with Marcus Woll. Maddie had heard about him at school, so they explained it a little to her but so far Andy hadn't asked any questions._

" _Connie, and these must be Madeline and Andrew, I can currently see why you and Mile are so protective of them," Marcus Woll stepped into view as Connie came down the townhouse stairs with Maddie and Andy._

" _Woll," Connie stepped in front of the kids and held them back, wanting to protect them, "You know I could have your bail revoked for this, intimidating the lead ADA's children," She frowned._

" _I'm not intimating," Woll smirked and held up his hands, "I just wanted to see what you gave up for me. You know Connie there's a name for woman like you, sleeping with two bosses."_

 _Connie narrowed her eyes, "The relationship Mike and I have is none of your business."_

" _Ah but I think it is when you're trying to put me in jail for something, we both know I didn't do. That could lead to ethics committee sanctions. You wouldn't' want your Dad to lose his law license, would you?" He said looking at Maddie and Andy._

" _Did Daddy do something wrong?" Andy asked._

" _No, this guy is a big jerk," Maddie led him down the street, "Let Connie talk to him," She led her younger brother away._

* * *

"I have to say I would have expected more from you Madeline, talking to you online was much too easy. Didn't your father teach you anything?" Woll turned and smiled at her, an evil smile that made Maddie's skin crawl.

"Leave me alone," Maddie stood up and immediately looking for Claire and James, very happy when she spotted them still playing.

"I wouldn't leave just yet Madeline, see one of us has to be smart," He smirked, "I have a gun and I have two men watching Claire and James. If you scream or say anything, I'm not sure what my men will do. But I don't think you want a mass murder on your shoulders, all because you didn't come for a little walk with me."

Maddie gulped, she needed to find a way out of this mess. "Where do you want to take me?"

"I just want to teach you a few lessons about internet safety," He patted her thigh, "Now come on."

"I need to watch Claire and James," Maddie tried to make her voice sound strong despite how terrified she was.

"Maddie!" Claire ran up to her older sister, "I'm hungry!" She barely even looked at Woll.

"Me too," James echoed his twin sister.

"Okay," Maddie nodded her head, as she passed the twins a towel to dry off with, "This is Mommy and Daddy's old friend. He's going to come with us for a bit." She didn't want the twins to think anything was wrong or they might get scared.

"Well, you certainly do look like your Mommy," Woll looked at Claire and smiled, "You're very pretty. I bet when you grow up, you'll be just as beautiful as your mother. You know your Mommy and I used to be very close."

"I'm very pretty," Claire innocently smiled as she danced around a bit.

"Yes, you are," Woll grinned, "Let's all go for a drive in my car. I can get you both lots of toys and candy."

"No," Maddie shook her head, "Why don't we just walk," She knew going into Woll's car would give him complete control. Right now, her plan was to get as close as she could to her father's office and the main courthouse. There she may have an easy time finding a police officer and somehow non-verbally letting them know she was in danger.

"What toys do you have?" James asked Woll, "I love baseball. I play t-ball, Daddy says I'm really good. Do you have any baseball toys?"

"No, but I can get you some," Woll told him, "So why don't we convince your sister here that it's in everyone's best interest if you all come with me."

"Please Maddie!" James looked up at his older sister, "We've been good."

"I know you have," Maddie smiled down at her brother as he put on a t-shirt. "But I think it's such a nice day outside."

"No, I want ice cream!" Claire announced as she put on her clothes back over her partly wet bathing suit. "Let's get lots of ice cream."

"Ice cream it is," Woll declared, he then glared at Maddie as if he was daring her to say anything else.

Maddie knew she didn't have any other choice, she began to look around to try and see who may be the men Woll was referring too. She saw two men who looked like they had a gun holster. "Claire, James," She stood up quickly, "Run that way!" Maddie pointed in the opposite direction, "Run until you find a police officer! When neither of them moved, she looked at them seriously, "I'm not joking, run! Now!" She ordered and scared they ran off.

"Bad choice," Woll pulled out his gun on Maddie, he pointed it at her, "Now stand-up."

Maddie did as she was told and she waited until Woll was a little distracted to grab the gun, when she did, she heard it go off and then everything went blank.

 **TBC**

* * *

 **A\N:** So, what do you think is going to happen next?


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Hey all HazelI'd here with your next chapter! Justicerocks really knocked it out of the park with the last chapter. Hope you all enjoy this one as well. Please let us know. We appreciate the great reviews! Y'all are awesome!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither of us own anything you recognize.

 **Spoilers:** Law & Order episode 20.07 "Boy gone Astray" and 20.09 "Fort the Defense"

 **Warnings:** None

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

Maddie lay on the ground in a daze. She struggled to keep her eyes open and get her bearings, but the world seemed to be spinning out of control. She tried to look around, hoping to find her little brother and sister. A searing pain shot through her lower leg, and Maddie reached out to grab it. Her hand came back wet, and as she raised it to her eyes her breath became erratic.

Her palm was covered with blood.

She saw feet approaching. Expensive, black leather dress shoes, not unlike the kind her father commonly wore for court. She wasn't able to raise her eyes, as the world was beginning to once again darken around her in her shock. Suddenly a voice sounded close to her ear, and Maddie didn't need to see his face to know who it was.

Marcus Woll.

"Madeline, Madeline," Woll admonished her in a singsong voice. "I was trying to keep things friendly, like our chats online. All you had to do was go for a little walk with me. But now I'll have to amend my plans." He leaned even closer to Maddie. "Thank you for telling James and Claire that I am a friend of your father's. It will make our upcoming little trip so much easier," he sneered, and Maddie moaned.

"No. Please. Don't hurt them."

"Oh I'm not planning to hurt them, at least not yet." Woll's voice darkened. "But I am planning to hurt your father and Connie. You'll give them a message from me won't you? Tell them, I'm taking things back to where it all began."

And with that, he was gone. Maddie struggled to stay alert, to see where he was going, but it was no use. Her eyes slid shut and the world once again went dark.

* * *

As Connie approached the sliding glass door at the entrance to the Children's Hospital Los Angeles Emergency department, she drew in a deep breath and tried to steel herself against everything that was currently swirling like a tsunami in her thoughts. The unfamiliar, and frankly, quite unwelcome surroundings. The note of panic that she had heard in her husband's voice when he called her to come to the hospital. Most of all, the simmering anxiety that was threatening to completely overwhelm her entire being. Was Maddie okay? Obviously not, she thought to herself. And where were James and Claire? Where were her babies?

She stood just inside the entrance, looking across the waiting room. It only took her a moment to find Mike, sitting slumped forward in one of the waiting room chairs. He held his head in his hands as he stared down at the floor.

"Mike?" Connie called to him, her voice quavering.

His head shot up in an instant when he heard her voice, and it took only the length of a heartbeat for him to brace his hands against the worn, wooden armrests of the chair to propel himself to his feet. Mike wrapped Connie tightly in his arms, burying his face in her shoulder and just wishing that he could wake up from this nightmare. Connie returned his embrace for a long moment, then gently placed her hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Oh God, Mike, what happened?"

Mike felt his mouth drop open, but he couldn't find the words. He led Connie back to the seats he had just vacated, dropping down onto the nubby blue upholstery, pulling her down into the seat next to him by the hand he was still clutching in his own. He took a deep breath and tried again to tell her the unthinkable.  
"Maddie's here," he started, "She's okay. She's going to be okay. She..." he had to pause for a moment, his eyes dropping to their joined hands. Mike studied her fingers for a moment, running a finger across her wedding band until he finally returned his gaze to Connie's worried face. She noticed that his eyes were bright with unshed tears. "She was shot, Connie. It's not serious!" he assured her as Connie gasped. "The bullet grazed her left calf. She needed a few stitches, but she'll be fine. She's talking with a couple of detectives now. She said, "Mike's voice trailed off.

"What?" Connie asked, her panic rising, "What Mike?!"

"She said it was Marcus Woll."

Connie could not have been more shocked. Marcus Woll. A former coworker turned adversary that they had tangled with in New York. And also, one of the biggest mistakes of Connie's life. The last they had heard of Marcus, he was serving a sentence in Attica for murder and attempted murder. It was Mike's prosecuting and Connie's testimony that had put him there. How was it possible that he was here, in Los Angeles, terrorizing their family after all these years? "Marcus? But, how?"

Mike's face hardened just slightly. "Apparently he had been talking to Maddie online. They have a team searching through her phone and social media records. She didn't know it was him until he approached them today in the park."

"Mike," Connie asked warily, "Where are the twins? Where are Claire and James?"

Mike's head dropped again at her question. It was the one he knew would be coming, and he desperately wished that he had a different answer for her. The first tear escaped his eyes as he finally answered. "Maddie says he took them."

"What?" Connie gasped, tears of anger and worry now forming in her own eyes. Before she could press Mike further, they were joined in the waiting room by Detective TJ Jaruszalski.

"Hey guys, I'm so sorry," he told them earnestly. "Here's what we know so far. Woll somehow managed to escape lockup, we think with the help of someone on the inside, someone pretty high up in the chain of command at the prison. That's also how he got access to her online. We've already contacted the NYPD and they are starting an investigation at the prison. Morales is still in with Maddie, but she just told us something that we wanted to run by you." Mike and Connie looked at him expectantly as he continued. "Maddie says that, before he left with the twins, Woll gave her a message to give to you: 'tell your father and Connie I'm taking things back to where it all began'." TJ paused, allowing the words to sink in. "Do you have any idea what he meant by that?"

Connie and MIke just stared at each other for a moment. "New York," they both whispered at the same time. They were silent for a split second, before they both grabbed their cell phones, Mike placing a call to Peter Stone and Connie to Cyrus Lupo. As Connie waited for her call to connect, she turned once again to TJ.

"He's taking them back to New York."

* * *

The day continued to spiral from bad to worse. The detectives finished talking with Maddie and began in depth discussions with Mike and Connie about Marcus Woll. Neither of them really wanted to rehash their long history with the man, especially Connie, but with what was at stake in this situation they really didn't have a choice. They relayed the information that they each had learned from their respective phone calls back east to Lupo and Peter. Lupo assured Connie that the NYPD was hard at work, already canvasing the airports and train stations with photos of Woll, James and Claire. Peter tried desperately to console his friend, telling MIke that once Woll was caught, and he would be caught, he would bring the full force of the justice system and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office to bear on him. "I will make damn sure that he never sees the light of day again," Peter told Mike.

They were now waiting the all clear to leave the hospital. Connie's sister had brought Andy, who was understandably distraught. He was worried about his older sister, worried about his younger brother and sister, and in all honesty he was worried about his Dad and Connie. His dad was drawing into himself. After the initial flurry of activity when the detectives got their first lead on Woll, Mike seemed to lose focus. Even Jack's arrival at the hospital did little to rouse him from his internal musings.

Andy's stepmother, on the other hand, was having trouble sitting still. Connie seemed to be in full on work mode now, barely taking the time to sit down and reflect on the magnitude of what was happening. Instead she was trying to find a way to fix it. If Connie wasn't on her phone with the authorities, then she was walking the hallways with the nurse on duty, inquiring on Maddie's condition.

Andy couldn't shake the feeling that if only he had dug a little deeper, or been more insistent that his parents look closely at Maddie's social media use, none of this would have happened. Andy knew something was up with the conversations that he had found, contact that they knew now had been from Marcus Woll. If I had just made them keep checking, Andy thought, Claire and James would be safe and Maddie would be okay now.

Because Maddie was most definitely NOT okay. The doctors had assured them that, physically, she would be fine and would be released to go home later that evening. Emotionally, Maddie had completely shut down. After talking with TJ and Morales, Mike and Connie had gone in to see her. But Maddie was able to say only a broken, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," before dissolving into tears. She became so upset that the doctors had to sedate her, and once she settled down and had spoken with a member of the behavior intervention team, they advised Mike and Connie to give her some space.

"She blames herself for what's happened," the young psychiatrist told them, "and she can't imagine that you don't blame her, too. Just give her some time."

It was at this point that Mike retreated to a remote corner of the waiting room, Jack tried to talk to him briefly, assuring him that he would deal with the reporters who were already digging into the case of the kidnapping of the children of a Los Angeles County Assistant District Attorney and a lawyer for the United States Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.

This just made Mike that much more angry. He was angry at Marcus Woll for once again appearing in their lives and turning their world upside down. He was angry at these intrusive reporters who were trying to make copy from their personal upheaval. He was angry at Maddie. They had been given the chance to review some of the online communications between Maddie and Woll. He manipulated her and confused her. Most kids, Mike knew, experienced some degree of teenage angst directed toward their parents at Maddie's age. Woll grabbed onto those feelings and used them to get Maddie to unwittingly let her guard down.

But most of all, Mike was mad at himself. Had he been more careful, more present, perhaps he could have prevented all of this. If only he had listened more closely when Andy originally voiced his concerns. If only he had paid more attention to Maddie and her moods, rather than passing it all off as normal teenage behavior. If only, if only, if only…

"Mike," Connie's voice interrupted. He looked up and saw her crossing over towards him. "Andy is getting a little anxious. The detectives have arranged for a patrol car to take us home. They will stay posted there throughout the night."

It dawned on him how emotionless his wife's voice sounded. He shook his head as his eyes dropped to the floor. "I'm not leaving Maddie here," he said, his tone matching hers.

Connie was taken aback. She immediately shook her head. "No, Mike, I wasn't suggesting that at all. I was going to have my sister come and get Andy and take him back home so we could wait here with Maddie until she is discharged."

Mike jumped up from his seat as if he were sitting on a spring and began pacing away from her to stare out the window. "You should go with them," he told her without turning around. "You don't have to stay."

Connie was confused, but followed after him. "Mike, I don't want to leave you here alone. Or Maddie." She reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder. She felt him stiffen at her touch.

"The last thing Maddie needs right now is to feel like we are blaming her for what's happened to the twins," he said, shrugging her hand away as he turned toward her.

Connie's eyes narrowed. The hand that had been on his shoulder still hung in the air between them. She slowly lowered it to her side. "Is that what you think?" she asked, her voice wary. "You think that I blame her?"

Mike knew he should stop. He knew he should stop before he said something that he would later regret. But he just couldn't. The anger and fear that were warring inside him could no longer be contained. And unfortunately, Connie was the easiest target.

"Why wouldn't you?" Mike asked heatedly. "She not your daughter. Not really."

Connie stepped away from him, feeling almost as if he had physically struck her. She knew him well enough to know that he wasn't really in control of his emotions at the moment. But still, his words cut her deep inside. "You don't really believe that, do you?" She asked. "You think that I love Maddie less than the twins because she's not my biological daughter?" When Mike didn't reply, Connie went on. "The only one to blame here is Marcus Woll." She was quiet for a moment. "If you want to blame someone, blame me for bringing him into our lives all those years ago, because God knows I am blaming myself for that," her voice broke on her words, letting her hurt at Mike's words and actions bleed through. She knew that he was hurting right now, and the last thing they needed to do was turn on each other. But she was hurting just as much, and now felt like the one, last bit of strength she had was abandoning her leaving only her own anger to take over. "Don't you dare, for one second, question my love and my concern for our children. ALL four of our children." She didn't realize until she stopped speaking how much her voice had risen as she spoke.

Connie took a deep breath, trying to reign in her hurt as she waited for a reply, but none came. "I'm going to take Andy home. I would appreciate it if you would let me know when you and Maddie are on your way. If I hear anything from the police I will let you know."

Mike just closed his eyes as he let his head come to rest on the cool glass pane separating him from the world outside.

* * *

Mike watched as the duty nurse walked away. He should be happy, as the woman had just informed him that Maddie would be ready to head home within the next 20 minutes or so. And he was glad that they would finally be able to leave the hospital, but he was still consumed with worry for James and Claire. There was still no news, no new leads, no one seemed to have any idea where his children were. They might as well have just disappeared. He was also ashamed of the way he had treated his wife. He remembered his mother telling him once that it was normal for people in high stress situations to lash out at the people they were closest to, the people who loved them unconditionally, people they knew would never leave them no matter how reprehensible their behavior.

But when Connie bore the brunt of Mike's anger earlier, he failed to take into account that she was hurting just as badly, that she was just a frightened for their children as he was. Which, he was certain, made his words pierce her heart even more.

Mike was pulled from his musing by the sound of approaching footsteps. He looked up to see Jack striding toward him, two cups of coffee in hand. "Jack," Mike said in surprise, "I didn't know you were still here."

"I spoke to Connie before she and Andy left," Jack told him.

Mike dropped his eyes to the ground, feeling his shoulders slump as Jack continued. "I told you once that you'd thank me for yanking your leash. I'm about to do it again." Jack held out a cup toward the younger man, gesturing toward the chairs near them before adding, "Have a seat."

Mike sighed and sank bonelessly into the seat. Jack joined him and sat silently regarding him for a moment. He had developed a decidedly paternal feeling for his former executive assistant. He had watched with pride and delight as he had grown both professionally and personally. Jack hated to see what was happening to Mike and Connie and their family now. "I can't really imagine what you and Connie are going through right now, the worry you must be feeling for your children. But one thing I do know, Mike, you cannot approach this like a prosecutor - all brains and no heart." Jack angled his eyes toward Mike, whose gaze was trained on the coffee cup in his hands. "You are a father facing the unimaginable. Don't shut out the people who can help you. And don't lash out at the only other person who can possibly understand what you're feeling." Mike finally raised his eyes to meet Jack's. "Connie's hurting just as much as you are. But the only blame to be placed here belongs squarely on the shoulders of Marcus Woll."

Mike heaved a deep, exhausted sigh as he nodded his head. He was about to speak, to thank Jack for pointing out what he already knew, when a voice from down the hall interrupted.

"Mr. Cutter?"

Mike and Jack both looked up to see a nurse pushing Maddie toward them in a wheelchair. She would not meet their eyes, but kept her eyes fixed on her lap where she toyed with one of the strings of the hoodie that she was wearing.

"She's all yours," the nurse smiled. She took a moment to review Maddie's discharge orders, then accompanied them to the door. Jack had called in a favor and arranged for an unmarked car to be waiting for them. They quickly settled in for the silent ride home.

It was nearly midnight when they finally arrived home. Mike was relieved to see a marked patrol car parked in front of their house. The detectives who drove them home also assured him that they would be parked just around the corner for the night as well. The house was dark and silent as they entered. Mike had not been able to get more than a few words out of Maddie as she wearily trudged up the stairs to her room, silently closing the door behind herself. Mike directed Jack to the guest room, peeked into Andy's room where he found his son sleeping fitfully, then went in search of his wife.

He found Connie in their family room. She had changed out of the suit she had worn to work that morning, what seemed like a million years ago now. She was dressed in yoga pants and a sweatshirt emblazoned with the name of Maddie's school on the front. Her feet were bare and her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. She stood near the window, looking out at the moonlit ground. Mike could see the trail of tears on her cheeks when she turned toward him as she heard him approach.

There were so many things Mike wanted to say, so much he knew he needed to say. But there would be time for words. For now, he simply closed the remaining distance between them. They wrapped their arms around each other, both giving and receiving strength from the other. They eventually found their way together to a nearby couch and remained there, wrapped in each other's arms, for the rest of the long night.

* * *

The following day dawned and found both Mike and Connie filled with a united front and a new resolve. They started the day by checking on the kids, experiencing a moment of panic when the opened the door to Andy's bedroom to find his bed empty. It subsided quickly and was replaced with a wave of love moments later when the opened the door to Maddie's room down the hall to find brother and sister curled up together in Maddie's bed, at last sleeping peacefully if only for the moment.

They were given a morning status update from Detective Morales. They had spent the last several hours trying to determine first if Woll had had indeed left the city, and second if he was heading to New York, how exactly he was planning to get two toddlers across the country. They had canvassed the airports, train stations, and bus stations of course, but also began checking in with car rental businesses and even car lots. They had no leads so far.

Mike was pacing back and forth in his home office, Connie seated at his desk working on the computer. They were hoping to get some information from the investigation at Attica, though they were well aware that they authorities in New York were likely to deny them access to an ongoing investigation. They were too close to this one, and though they had many friends working on finding Woll and the twins, Mike and Connie also knew there were likely to be some details of the investigation that they simply would not share with the distraught parents.

"What's Woll's endgame here?" Mike asked suddenly as he continued pacing. "Why take the kids back east? What does he hope to accomplish?"

"Maybe it's just a ruse to throw us off the track of what he really has planned," Connie hypothesized. "Maybe he isn't planning to take them back to New York at all, and he just told Maddie that to start a runaround that would waste time and resources."

They sat contemplating this, when suddenly Mike's cell phone rang. He glanced at the display, his eyes widening when he saw that it read "Restricted Caller." The police had already set up a trace of both of their cell phones and their home phone line. Mike crossed to Connie's side as she read the look on his face as he took the call.

"Hello?"

"Good morning Mike," the sickeningly familiar voice answered from the other end of the line. Marcus Woll. "How are you and that lovely wife of yours doing this morning?"

"Marcus," Mike began with barely controlled rage. "I don't know what you have planned but if you hurt my children, if even one hair on their heads is out of place, I will,"

Marcus just laughed, "You'll what, Mike? Just remember, you have to find us first. I'm the one holding all the cards here. So, now, why don't you put that lovely wife of yours on the phone. I'm sure she's right there isn't she."

The last thing Mike wanted to do was let Marcus anywhere near Connie, even if only on the phone. But he also knew that the longer they kept him on the line, the greater the chance that they could get some idea of his whereabouts. "Why should I let you talk to Connie?" he asked.

"I just thought she might like to hear from her babies," Marcus told him. "It's a one-time offer and it expires quickly. If you'd rather not hear from them…" Woll trailed off.

"No wait!" Mike called. "She's right here." He pulled the phone away from his ear, then held it out to Connie. "He wants to talk to you. He says he'll let you talk to the kids."

Connie nodded wordlessly, taking the phone. Mike crouched down next to her, nestling his head close to her so he could hear the voices on the other end of the line. "I'm here," Connie said.

"Connie," Woll greeted her, using the same tone of voice that he had all those years ago when he approached her on the street on the day she was to testify against him. _"We're co-conspirators, Connie. It seems only natural that we should spend time together."_

Connie knew better than to make demands, but she couldn't stop the next words that escaped her lips. "I want to talk to James and Claire!"

"We'll get to that," Woll teased. "They are actually rather pleasant children, their father's DNA notwithstanding."

"Where are you taking them Marcus? Please just tell me!" Connie asked.

"Didn't Maddie deliver my message? How is she by the way?"

Connie could practically feel Mike's entire body coil with rage next to her, even though they weren't touching. Woll's voice continued. "You've waited long enough, I suppose."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, and then, "Mommy?"

"James?" Connie breathed, tears springing once again to her eyes. She felt Mike's arm tighten around her. "Baby, are you okay?"

"Mommy yes, but are you going to meet us soon? He said you would."

Connie was about to answer when James' voice was replaced with Claire's. "Mommy, where's Daddy?"

Connie angled the phone toward Mike as he answered. "I'm right here, sweetheart. Are you and your brother okay?"

"Yes. Will we see you soon? Mr. Marcus said we would."

"Claire, do you know where you are?" Connie asked. But her daughter didn't get the chance to answer.

"Ah, ah, ah," Woll's voice once again filled the phone line. "All in good time. We're well on our way. I'm sure you've already been in contact with some old friends, but don't worry, I have, too. I'll be in contact with you again soon."

And with that, the line went dead.

Connie and Mike simply looked at each other. They knew that they could not give into the emotions they were both feeling in that moment: a sense of elation and relief at hearing from the twins, an overwhelming fear in not know exactly where they were or what Woll had planned, and a burning determination to bring their family back together, safe and whole.

By unspoken agreement, they let that determination take the lead. They had work to do.

* * *

 **Up Next:** Mike and Connie go back to New York but will they find James and Claire in time?


	6. Chapter 6

**A\N:** My apologizes for longer then usual wait for this chapter I asked my co author to help me write it and we were both super busy with different things. I think though that this chapter is very good and I hope you all like it.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

 **Warinings:** None

 **Spoiler:** 20.07 "Boy gone Astray" & 20.09 "For the Defence"

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

Connie and Mike arrived in New York at two o'clock in the afternoon. They had gotten the first flight out of LAX at six o'clock in the morning, but the flight was five and a half hours long. As Mike and Connie both worried about what Claire and James could be going through the flight only seemed to be that much longer. They each tried to keep busy though, Mike contacting Peter Stone and Connie reaching out to their old colleagues who were the Detectives on the case. Since they wanted to get to New York as soon as possible they had packed very little, so they didn't have any checked luggage, that made it easier for them to get a taxi and go to the 21st Police Precinct in Manhattan.

As much as Connie and Mike were worried about the twins they were also worried about Maddie. The teenager had hardly talked to anyone and was barley coming out of her room, although she had talked to Mike a little, she still hadn't managed to talk to Connie yet. Connie knew Maddie thought she was angry with her and whished there was some way to assure her step-daughter she didn't blame her at all for what happened.

Jack McCoy had offered to stay with Maddie and Andy while Mike and Connie were in New York. When he showed up at the house the night Mike and Connie were planning on leaving, he saw Andy near tears wanting to go with his parents to New York. He was worried about James and Claire too and he wanted to make sure they were okay. Mike and Connie had told him though, and Jack had agreed that they didn't really know what was going to happen once they got to New York and they didn't want Andy to be in potential danger.

Arriving in the Homicide unit brought chills through Connie's spine and she was glad the Precinct only got assigned the case because they dealt with the Marcus Woll case the first time. She was worried enough about her children she has no idea how she'd be able to go on if they actually needed homicide detectives once they found the twins.

"Mike, Connie," Lt. Van Buren walked out of her office, "I'm so sorry about seeing you again under these circumstances. Please come into my office and I'll tell you what I can," Anita held the door open for the parents and then closed it. She walked to sit behind her desk and then said, "As you know we can't share any information we wouldn't normally share with any family members. We're working as hard as we can to find Claire and James and Bernard and Lupo are out tracking down what we think is a good lead. We're fairly certain your children are here in the city. Now I know you both want to help but we have all your notes on Marcus Woll you provided the LAPD and that's helping us. I'll call you as soon as we know anything, and please let me know if there is anything I can do."

"Thank you," Connie shook Anita's hand and walked back out of the office with Mike. Getting back outside they got another taxi to the DA's office. Getting out of the taxi they saw something that brought a small smile to their faces. Anna Valdez was walking in the direction of the DA's office pushing a stroller.

"Hi Anna, I'm guessing we're going to the same place," She attempted to sound less miserable then she actually was, she knew her friend wasn't to blame. She had only met Anna once before, a few years ago when she and Peter had brought a then six-month-old Benji to Los Angles for a visit. They had however gotten along great almost instantly and they texted and talked on Facetime.

"Connie, Mike," Anna stopped pushing the stroller and turned around, "I'm so sorry," She pulled Connie into a hug, "When Peter told me… I can't imagine anything like that happening to our kids. Peter actually asked me to come by around the time you were coming. You're going to be staying with us so-"

"Oh, no we can't impose like that on such short notice, we were just going to find a hotel room," Connie cut her friend off.

"No," Anna shook her head "We insist. We have a guest bedroom and private bathroom."

"Mama, uh-oh." The voice of Benji suddenly interrupted the adult conversation. He had accidently dropped his soother onto the ground and couldn't reach it.

Mike bent down and picked up the soother, which not to his surprise was attached to a Chicago Cubs clip that could attach onto Benji's clothes, "Here you go little man," Mike cleaned off the soother and handed it back to the young toddler, "I see your father has already tried to influence your team affiliations."

"Oh, this is nothing," Anna laughed and shook her head, "Benji has everything he needs and much more when it comes to baseball and the Cubs. Two of his first words were 'ball' and 'cub' and whenever he sees a baseball or a game, he gets all the talking and yelling practice he needs."

"Sounds like James," Connie said and then began to cry at the mention of her son. Mike pulled her into a gentle hug. It was then that they saw three-month-old Charlotte asleep in the back part of the stroller. "Oh, she's beautiful," Connie whispered, not wanting to wake the baby up.

"She just fell asleep now otherwise I'd say you could hold her." Anna told her friend.

Walking into the D. A's office again felt strange for both Mike and Connie especially when they had to attach visitor badges to their clothing. When they got to the major crimes burau a few ADA's they knew came up to them to express their sympathies for what had happened.

"It feels a little weird coming back here as a visitor," Mike spoke as Anna knocked on the door of Peter's office, Mike's old office.

"Yeah," Connie agreed. Looking around at her old desk she had flashes of memories come back to her. She remembered in detail the time they prosecuted Woll and all of the emotions it brought back for her then. Now she felt all those emotions again only times ten. She couldn't understand how anyone could be so calculated, so psychotic as Marcus Woll was.

"Dada!" Benji shouted happily as Peter's assistant opened the door as Peter stood up from his desk.

Peter grinned and walked over to the stroller and lifted his son up. "Hey champ," He kissed his forehead and settled him on his hip as he gave Anna a quick kiss on the lips before turning his attention to Mike and Connie. "I have a few ideas I'd like to run by you if that's okay. If course I can't provide you with details of the case but…"

"Anything you can give us would be great," Mike interrupted his friend.

"Please sit down," Peter motioned for everyone to sit at the small conference table in his office. As Benji was getting restless he set the toddler on the ground and picked up a file, "Before we get started this is my assistant Alexander Graves," Peter told Connie and Mike. "Before I settled on staying in Illinois I thought long and hard about practicing law in San Francisco. When I got out of law school an old teammate and good friend of mine had been traded to San Francisco took the state bar exam and passed and even had job interviews lined up. However, after thinking about it further I decided to stay in Chicago. I had a condo I loved, and I knew the city. I have however kept up my California law license, that means I can file a motion to extradite the case to Los Angles as that is where the kidnapping happened. I'll still be prosecuting the case only in Los Angles, and since California has the death penalty, I'll- "

"I'm sorry!" Connie stood up and raced out of the room a hand over her mouth. She barely made it to the washroom before throwing up the little she was able to eat for breakfast that day. She had always been morally opposed to the death penalty and she couldn't imagine it being used on someone she was once close to. Even if he did commit unthinkable murders not to mention kidnap her children. She wanted Marcus Woll to spend the rest of his life in jail. He was manipulative and she knew he'd probably find a way out of the death penalty if it was granted. In transporting him back to Los Angles so much could go wrong, and Connie couldn't think of him having a chance to escape again. Needing something to drink Connie walked out of the bathroom not at all surprised to see Mike waiting for her.

"Connie," Mike pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her forehead. He knew this was difficult for both of them and if this was any other case, he'd be fighting for the death penalty. Even though Mike thought Woll deserved to die for solely shooting Maddie he learned a long time ago things weren't that black and white for Connie. She saw the law in different shades of grey and the fact that she had a relationship with Marcus Woll, Mike knew this was extremely difficult for her.

After a few minutes Connie slowly looked up at her husband, "If he goes back to Los Angles he could escape and go after the kids again. I know even if he isn't convicted, he'll jut serve his sentence in a California jail but… I know Maddie learnt her lesson…."

"You know what I want," Mike looked at her, "But Peter won't peruse this unless you're sure as well. If Woll- "

"No!" Connie shakes her head, "No, the kids are okay Mike. I can't think of that right now." She ran a hand over her forehead, "I just want my kids back," She started to cry again. "If what he does warrants the death penalty then I'm okay with that. Right now, I just want to sleep."

"Okay," Mike nodded his head, "Anna said we can leave whenever you're ready," He took her hand and led her back to the room.

* * *

As much as Connie and Mike had both wanted to sleep, they hadn't had much luck. They had tried to nap when they first got to Peter and Anna's house but weren't; able to. They then decided to play with Benji and Charlotte so Anna could get some housework done, something Anna said they didn't have to do but was grateful for. Benji was learning how to throw a ball and Mike played with him well Connie held Charlotte. As the afternoon tuned into evening Mike and Connie worried about James and Claire even more. They still had no idea where they were and even if they were okay.

Eventually, though, Charlotte grew restless in Connie's arms and Benji grew tired of playing catch with Mike and just tired in general as his bedtime approached. Anna took Charlotte and shepherded Benji up the stairs, leaving Connie and Mike alone in the family room.

"I think I'm going to go take a shower," Connie told Mike, her voice flat and emotionless. Mike simply nodded, watching her retreat up the stairs, knowing she was heading to the bathroom just across the hall from the guest room Anna had prepared for them. Mike heaved a deep sigh as he sank boundlessly down onto the couch, running his hands through his hair and rubbing his tired eyes. He tried desperately not to let his mind wander to all of the worst-case scenarios, to the grisly crime scene photos from cases he had worked in the past involving children. Best to focus his attention elsewhere. And what better way to temper that fear than by turning it to anger? His thoughts turned to Marcus Woll. He had known of Woll when he worked for the Manhattan DA's office, but it was by reputation only. It was only when he and Connie had crossed paths with him years later, when he was acting as a defense attorney for a group of drug dealers from a Mexican cartel, that Mike was able to really see him in action. The Vella Cartel, who subsequently threatened Connie's life.

It had been still fairly early in Mike and Connie's personal relationship, but he remembered the knife of fear that shot through him as they stood in Jack's office listening to the words of the song. Mike didn't know enough Spanish at that point to decipher anything, but he could tell by the looks on the faces of the other occupants of the room - this was bad. When Connie nervously translated that they were singing about the "dead female lawyer" from New York, finally meeting Mike's eyes as she added, "They're threatening me," he realized exactly how bad. They were told they were to be given protection details and were told not to leave the building until they received confirmation from Van Buren that everything was in place.

This had given them a few moments alone in Mike's office. He wanted to ask her if she was okay, if she was scared, but the moment they were alone behind the closed door, Connie turned to him and voiced her greatest fear.

"We have to make sure Andy and Maddie are safe," she told him. "That's the most important thing Mike. If they're threatening me, they surely already know that we're together. If anything happens…."

Mike cut her off by pulling her into his arms for a hug. Mike just held her, marvelling a bit at the revelation that Connie's first instinct was to put the safety of two children who were not her own above her own safety.

And if he had not known it before that moment, Mike Cutter knew he was in love with her.

Woll reappeared in another case about a month later, and Connie was once again put into danger when she went to the safe house to prep their witness and was almost shot. She showed up at Mike's house that night once the scene had been cleared. The kids were fast asleep. Mike could tell how upset Connie was, though she tried not to show it as she methodically recounted the events for him as they sat at his kitchen table. Mike finally placed one finger under Connie's chin, tilting her head up to meet his eyes.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked.

It took only a moment before Connie dissolved into tears, leaning her head against Mike's shoulder as he slid an arm around her back, whispering comforting words into her ear. The tears didn't last long, and when they subsided, Connie told Mike the whole, awful story of her past with Marcus Woll. About their relationship as coworkers, and then something more, when she had first joined the DA's office. How he had at first appeared so charming and eloquent, but it quickly became apparent to Connie that he was an egotistical narcissist. Mike didn't like to hear any of this. He had already disliked Marcus Woll, this revelation only added more fuel to that fire.

As the case went on, it took even more twists and turns. When they began to see a pattern in the disappearance and murders of the witnesses in so many of Woll's cases, and one in particular that Connie took especially to heart as she felt somewhat responsible for it, they came to the conclusion that Woll was akin to a serial killer. Connie offered herself up as an unindicted co-conspirator in the case against him. Mike was dreading questioning her on the stand with every fiber of his being. As they prepped for the trial, it was only made worse when Andy innocently mentioned at dinner one night that they had run into a "creepy guy" as Connie was taking them to school that morning. As Mike and Connie discussed the encounter later that night, Mike became agitated, saying that he might just follow through on Connie's threat to have Woll's bail revoked. Connie finally interrupted his ranting.

"You know, maybe someone else should be handling this trial," she told him.

Mike stopped himself short, looking across the table at her. He could tell that she was just as anxious and stressed out by all of this as he was. So much of what was about to happen was out of their control. He needed to be there for her now. Mike quirked a smile at her with a bashful shrug and said, "I'm afraid you're stuck with me."

Connie couldn't help the small smile that crossed her face. "Lucky me," she whispered as she leaned in to kiss him.

Mike's thoughts returned to the present. He looked around the empty family room of his friends' home. They were once again in a similar situation. So much was out of their control, but the stakes were even higher this time. He could stay down here, brooding with his thoughts, or he could go upstairs to his wife.

There really was no choice at all.

Connie dried her hair, running her fingers through it to put it into place after she had hung the towel back on its hook near the shower. She had to admit, the shower had helped, at least a little. She took one last look around the bathroom to ensure that she had not left it a complete disaster, then switched off the light with a sigh, heading across the hall to the guest room. She could see a dim light from Benji's room, could hear Anna's soft voice as she read him a good night story. Connie all but collapsed on the bed, thoughts of the night time routines at their own home running through her head. Thoughts of how James and Claire would request that Mommy read on the night they chose a Skippy John Jones story, because Daddy just couldn't do the little Siamese cat's Spanish accent quite right. This had long been a running joke in their family, starting back to when Andy had first brought one of the picture books home from the school library. She had listened with barely controlled mirth as Mike tried, without a whole lot of success, to plow his way through the text that threw in the occasional phrase in her second language. Finally, with a look of defeat, he handed the book over to Connie, who expertly finished it. Andy checked out a new book in the series the next day at school, and Mike went out that weekend and bought the whole set, just to have the chance to hear Connie reading to his son.

Our son, she thought to herself as she lay above the covers in the darkened room. For she truly did think of Maddie and Andy as her own. She had loved them practically from the moment she had met them. Even Maddie, who initially made it so difficult for Connie. When she and Mike had become engaged and had married, it was so important to Connie that she make sure that Mike's children were secure in the knowledge that she would be there for them. In the aftermath of Maddie's trauma and Melissa's disastrous visit to the hospital, when Maddie and Andy called Connie "mom" for the first time, her heart soared.

Connie thought back on their journey. Their lives became a hectic jumble with the move to Los Angeles, the birth of the twins, and Mike and Connie's wedding. Even just one big life changing event would be one thing, but with three of them back to back, Mike and Connie were exhausted. But also, endlessly happy and thankful for the family that they had. Connie remembered one night in particular. The twins were about five months old. They had been on a fairly regular eating and sleeping schedule for some time, but for whatever reason, that week had been a particularly rough one. Mike and Connie had both been slammed at work. Connie was still getting in the swing of being back at work after her maternity leave, and Mike was deep in trial prep for his latest case. It had not been going well, and Mike had missed dinner at least three nights that week - something he had tried to make sure never happened.

Miracle of miracles, Mike and Connie had both arrived home at the same time and relatively early that Friday night. They wearily entered the house, a car seat holding a sleeping baby in each of their arms. They house was quiet and they both detected a delicious smell coming from the kitchen. Exchanging questioning glances, Mike and Connie made their way through the house toward the kitchen. Once there, they were pleasantly surprised to find Tia Elena supervising as Maddie was removing what looked to be a casserole dish with a lasagna inside from the oven. Andy was carefully setting the table in the dining room, where two tall candle sticks sat flickering on the table.

"Oh!" Maddie exclaimed, a slight look of dismay on her face. "You're home early!

"We were going to surprise you!" Andy added.

Maddie went on to explain that they knew it had been kind of a long week, so she and Andy had devised the plan to give their parents a date night at home. Elena assured them that she had been on hand to supervise the dinner preparations and use of the stove, oven, knives, and cutting boards, but the idea came solely from the children. They also refused when Connie invited Maddie and Andy to join them for dinner. Maddie let her know in no uncertain terms that date night was just for the two of them, that they had already eaten, and they would now be on duty entertaining James and Claire if they were to wake up while Mike and Connie enjoyed their meal.

Connie had been so overcome, for a moment she couldn't speak. She was, truthfully, exhausted most days by the time she got home from work. Caring for two infants did not leave a lot of time for anyone or anything else. She felt a sharp pang of guilt anytime Maddie asked for help with her homework or Andy asked her to read a book with him, and she had to send them to their father because one of the babies would begin to cry. Connie looked over at Mike, seeing a proud smile on his face as Maddie and Andy each began bringing dishes and plates to the table. Both kids wore a grin, which only grew as Connie grabbed them and hugged them close before they disappeared back into the kitchen to clean up and then upstairs to Mike's home office where they were going to look after the twins and watch a movie with their aunt.

As Connie watched them go, she felt Mike come up and hold her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. "How did we get so lucky?" Connie asked him.

Her thoughts came back to the present as she felt the bed dip when Mike slid in beside her. They turned toward each other. They had experienced so many emotions during this ordeal, and Connie couldn't remember the last time she had really slept. She wordlessly nestled into Mike's arms, and though they both knew it would be fleeting, for just this moment, in the circle of each other's arms, they were able to close their eyes and rest.

 **TBC**

* * *

 **A\N:** Please leave a review.


	7. Chapter 7

**A\N:** HazelI'd wrote this chapter and I think she did a pretty amazing job. She's pretty busy with real life right now so that's why the wait was longer then usual. We both hope everyone enjoys this chapter.

 **Disclaimer:** Neither of us own anything.

 **Spoilers:** None

 **Warnings:** None

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

When the case finally broke, it was in the most unlikely of was. Jacinda Almora was one of several officers who had been working the NYPD tip line for the past week. It wasn't the most exciting work for a young police officer completing her eighteen month probationary period, but it wasn't without its moments. THe past few days certainly had been busy, with the news of the kidnapping of the children of two former district attorneys. The calls had been coming hot and heavy from all over the five boroughs and stretching out across the country to the missing childrens' home state of California. And while the volume of calls had been steady, none of them had yet to lead to any viable information as to their current whereabouts.

As another call came in, Jacinda returned her focus to the computer screen in front of her, ready to log the call.

"NYPD Tip Line. Please be advised, you do not have to give your name or identify yourself in anyway."

There was a long pause, then a feminine voice, shaking with fear that Jacinda found palpable even over the phone, began to speak.

"I think I know where Marcus Woll has those kids."

From there, the wheels turned round at lightning speed. The frightened voice on the other end of the tip line, it turned out, belonged to Kaylin Dow, a graduate student from Hudson University. She had quite a story to tell, and soon found herself in an interrogation room at the 27th Precinct, sitting opposite Detective Cyrus Lupo.

Lupo listened attentively as the young woman spoke. Kaylin had been finishing the last semester of her first year of grad school in the criminal psychology program at Hudson. As such, she had been chosen for an internship with a local psychologist, Dr. Palmer GIbson, who frequently worked in coordination with the department of corrections. Kaylin told Lupo about the visits she had begun making to the prisons - Attica, Rikers, to observe and assist with some of the group therapy sessions.

It was during one such visit that Kaylin's path crossed with that of Marcus Woll.

Kaylin had studied many cases in both her undergrad and gradute work. From the most heinous serial killers to leaders of organized crime, she learned much about the workings of the criminal mind.

But she had never met anyone like Marcus Woll.

Their moments together were brief. Kaylin would excuse herself to use the restroom before they began their trip back to the city. Dr. Gibson, who had an awfully high opinion of himself and looked upon these university students as a somewhat bothersome task that netted him little more than unpaid labor to complete the worst of his "grunt work," paid little mind to her, and barely noticed that these little breaks away soon increased in both frequency and duration.

Woll had charmed her. He had convinced her that he was innocent, a victim of a broken justice system. Kaylin didn't realize how she had been manipulated until she saw his face on television when news of the kidnapping broke. And she realized the part that she had played, when she managed to keep her visitor's badge one week. The following day, she had returned to the prison on her own.

"He somehow managed to get his hands on street clothes" Kaylin surmised, tears filling her voice. "All we had to do was wait for the shift change, and then walk right out together."

Lupo leaned across the table. "Kaylin, listen to me. Woll manipulated you. He confused you. But you can still help us." The young woman's tears started to fall more quickly. "You said on the tip line that you knew where he took the kids. Now I need you to tell me what you know."

Kaylin scrubbed at her eyes. She knew she was in trouble. She knew her career was likely over before it had even started, but the lives of two innocent children were at stake. She placed her hands flat on the table in front of her, not meeting Lupo's eyes as she spoke.

"He talked about a cabin upstate," Kaylin finally looked up and met the detective's eyes. "I think he has them there."

* * *

With the sun not yet peeking above the horizon, little Claire Cutter was trying as hard as she could not to burst into tears once again. Not because she wasn't scared or she didn't miss her mommy and daddy, but because she didn't want the Bad Man to start yelling at her again.

That's how she thought of him now - the Bad Man. Not Mr. Marcus, who had seemed so nice when they first met him in the park. It was a long, long time ago not. Claire wondered where Mommy was, when Daddy would come, and if Maddie was okay.

James Cutter was wondering the same things, but he was also hungry.

The twins both jumped and looked up as the Bad Man entered the room. They wanted to once again pepper him with questions because they had so many, but they had learned the hard way - that only made him mad.

"Hi guys!" Woll addressed the children, a wide but insincere smile spread across his face. He had, admittedly, little experience with children of any age, but Marcus and been ill-prepared to deal with the neediness of toddlers.

Not much longer now, he thought to himself. He knew without a doubt, that Mike Cutter and Connie Rubirosa would waste no time chasing him across the country. He was sure they were already in New York. It's almost time to make them pay the ultimate price.

"I'm hungry," James finally spoke.

"And I want to go outside," Claire added.

Woll's eyes hardened as the twins both began whining at once, their volume only increasing as the spoke. He turned away from them, heading toward the kitchen, distracted for a moment by their incessant noise. He failed to hear the banging on the door until it was too late.

"MARCUS WOLL! THIS IS THE NYPD! COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!"

Before Marcus could formulate the thought that he had stupidly left his gun in the bedroom, the door had been breached. Three officers rushed in, weapons drawn, as Claire made a bee line out. Woll reached out to grab at James, know that having a hostage was his only hope at this point, but he quickly learned another truth about toddlers - they could be very fast when the wanted to.

Woll cowered on the floor, the three officers hovering over his as he saw Kevin Bernard and Cyrus Lupo approach. Lupo help Claire in one arm, holding out the other to James who was just peeking out from the bathroom. James ran across the room to them as Bernard pulled his handcuffs from his belt.

"Marcus Woll, you are under arrest."

* * *

In the hour just before dawn, the battling ringtones of the cell phones belonging to Mike and Connie simultaneously cut through the silence in the room around them, followed moments later by the ringing of Peter Stone's own cell phone as well as the Stone's home phone. Though they had barely closed their eyes for more than a few minutes' time during the past few days, Mike and Connie were each fully awake in an instant, fumbling in the unfamiliar surroundings to find their respective phones and turn on lamps perched on bedside tables. Connie was a half second faster answering the call when she saw on the screen that it was from Anita Van Buren than Mike was answering his own call from Cyrus Lupo.

But they received the long awaited for good news at almost the same time.

Connie gasped. Mike reached blindly behind himself, searching for her hand, which she immediately grasped in her own. They turned to each other, eyes filling with tears of relief as Peter appeared in the doorway, Anna right behind him. Peter watched in silence, his arm sliding around his wife's waist to pull her close as Mike and Connie each finished their calls. Mike finally turned to look at Connie. She held one hand tightly over her mouth, as if holding in the tears that threatened to fall. Mike reached out and pulled her into his arms, murmured soothingly into her ear.

"It's alright, babe. They're okay now. We've got them back."

Peter, who couldn't make out the words whispered between his friends, called out softly from the doorway. "Mike?"

Mike turned to look at them, Connie still in his arms, and gave them a watery smile. "They found the kids. They're okay."

Mike and Connie found themselves being driven by Peter to JFK, where the three of them hopped the first flight to Syracuse. Thankfully, there was a flight leaving within thirty minutes of their arrival. They were expedited through security with the help of the NYPD, and were soon in the air. The flight was a quick one, but still seemed endless to the worried parents. Still, in less than an hour, they were once again on the ground and on their way to Golisano Children's Hospital. Mike had placed a call to Jack as they sped their way towards the hospital, towards their children.

"No, we just were able to talk to the chief resident for a few minutes, but she said the kids are okay," Mike told him, "The detectives just wanted to be sure, so they took them to get checked."

"Mike, that's great news!" Jack replied. "I let Maddie and Andy know as soon as they wake up."

"Tell them we love them, and that we'll call them as soon as we can," Mike said, smiling over at Connie as he relayed the message she had asked Mike to give Jack.

"I will," he agreed. Jack was silent for a beat before finally asking, "Mike, what happened to Woll."

A muscle in Mike's cheek twitched as he tightened his jaw. "He's currently being held at the Onondago County Justice Center. Peter's with us and he's going there as soon as we are back with the kids."

Peter Stone glanced over his shoulder at his friends in the backseat of the cab as he heard his name. While he was beyond relieved that the worst of the nightmare was over for his friends, Peter knew that his job was really only beginning.

They had known from the get-go that Woll was on the hook for attempted murder and aggrivated kidnapping. What they had only recently discovered, was that during the first night, Woll had made a late night stop at an out of the way gas station. When the young man behind the counter had started asking too many questions, Woll uncharacteristically panicked. Standing in the deserted convenience store in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night, Woll made a split second decision. He shot the kid, barely out of his teens, leaving him for dead on the floor behind the counter. By the time his coworkers arrived in the morning for their next shift, it was too late. He was gone.

Peter knew the laws in California. He knew If murder or another specified crime happens during a kidnapping, the prosecutor can charge the defendant with first degree murder using the felony murder rule. Peter also knew that a murder conviction for homicide during a kidnapping in California can result in a sentence of life imprisonment without parole or the death penalty.

Peter had mentioned this to Mike and Connie when they had first arrived in the city, and he remembered Connie's strong reaction. He knew there were some difficult conversations and decisions ahead. But for the time being, Peter decided to focus on the fact that in a matter of minutes he would have the opportunity to bear witness to a beautiful reunion.

The taxi had barely stopped before Connie threw the backdoor open and sprinted toward the entrance of the Pediatric Emergency Department at Golisano Children's Hospital. Mike was right behind her as the entered the lobby. They both stopped short, looking around to get their bearings, trying to decide what to do next, when Anita Van Buren appeared at their sides.

"Mike, Connie," she said, grabbing their attention. "The kids are just fine, they are back here in an observation room." She smiled slightly. "Lupo and Bernard haven't let them out of their sight since we found them," she said, taking Connie's arm and leading them through a door into the treatment area of the Emergency Department.

Mike had about a hundred questions running through his mind that he knew he needed to ask. Questions about where the kids had been found, how they had gotten from Los Angeles to upstate New York, and most pointedly, where was Marcus Woll now? He knew from talking to Peter that the man was in custody, and right now, maybe that was enough. Mike looked over Connie's shoulder as Anita led them around a curtained area, where Mike heard two beautiful and sorely missed voices call out almost in unison.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

The rest of the room seemed to fade away. They barely noticed Lupo, Bernard, and Van Buren slip silently from the area. They heard none of the normal bustle and noise of a busy emergency room. All Mike and Connie saw and all they heard were their children. The crossed the space between them in two large steps and then, finally, once again held their babies in their arms.

"Mommy, you're squishing me!" James protested. Connie couldn't help but laugh through her tears. She released him just enough to look down into his brown eyes, kissing his forehead.

"I'm sorry baby," she said in a tremulous voice.

"Daddy, why are you and Mommy crying?" Claire asked from her spot on Mike's lap, reaching up to pat his cheek.

Mike, too, couldn't help but laugh. He took Claire's little hand in his, kissing her palm. "We just missed you both so much, and we are so glad that you're both okay and that we are here with you again."

That seemed to satisfy Claire. She looked over at Connie, a deadly serious look on her little face, "Mommy, Mr. Marcus was a bad man."

Connie reached out to caress her daughter's cheek. "I know, But he's not going to get anywhere near you ever again."

"Is Maddie okay?" James suddenly asked.

"Yes, buddy, Maddie is okay. We'll all call her and Andy if a little while," Mike reassured him.

"Maddie tried to make the bad men go away," James said. "She tried hard."

Connie hugged him close. "We know she did. She was so brave, and you and Claire were very brave, too."

"Mommy, can we go it smells here."

Departure from the hospital didn't happen as quickly as any of them would have liked. Mike and Connie talked to the attending physician, who assured them that the twins were just fine. They had both been given complete check ups and it was determined that the ordeal with Woll had left them with no physical harm. Mike thought he could detect the first signs of the emotional effects when Claire pressed as close to him as she could, hiding her face in his chest when a male nurse came into the room. Luckily, this reticence around others did not extend to the two detectives, who Claire and James now looked on as their own personal super heroes. Mike and Connie both stayed very close, and they were also happy to see Daddy's friend Peter, who arrived just as the detectives began gently questioning the twins to get their official statements. Luckily, with Woll already in custody, there wasn't too much that they needed from the kids.

When they were finally released from the hospital, Mike and Connie were both surprised to see the sun setting low in the horizon as the exited the emergency department, realizing that the entire day had gone by. The kids had been troopers through the day, but Mike and Connie could tell that they were quickly nearing the end of their ropes. Rather than heading to the airport to get a flight back to the city, they decided to just get a hotel room in Syracuse for the night.

The first order of business once they checked in was ordering room service, consisting of a grilled cheese sandwich for Claire and a plate of pancakes for James. While they waited for their dinner, Connie grabbed her phone to place a most important call.

Maddie answered on the first ring. "Mom?" She asked anxiously.

"Yes, sweetheart, it's me," Connie answered.

"Are James and Claire okay?"

"They are just fine," Connie told her, hearing an audible sigh of relief from the other end of the line. "Hang on just a minute, I'm going to put you on speaker phone."

Maddie held her breath for just a second, then finally began to breathe again when she heard, "Hi Maddie!"

Maddie sagged with relief at the dining room table in her home, Jack and Andy sitting to either side of her. "Hi guys," she answered.

The conversation continued long enough for James and Claire to check in with everyone and assure them that they were missed dearly. Everyone laughed when Claire asked if they could have another big party like Maddie's birthday when they got home. By the time the twins' dinner arrived, Connie was just wrapping up the call, speaking with Maddie again one on one.

"I'm so sorry," Maddie whispered, her voice tight with tears. "I can't believe I let this happen, that I did something so stupid."

"Maddie," Connie said gently, catching Mike's eye as he sat nearby helping the twins cut their food up into bite sized pieces. "You didn't do this sweetheart. We all know who is responsible for this, and it is NOT you."

"I know, but,"

"No, stop right there," Connie interrupted. "Listen, I know how much you love your brother and sister, and I know that you are feeling some guilt right now. But you are not responsible for this. And the one who is, will never be able to hurt us again. All you need to remember for now is this - we love you, always."

Connie knew it would take many more conversations like this to convince Maddie that what they were trying to tell her was the truth. She and Mike switched places, passing him the phone as she took over with the twins. When Mike finally disconnected the call, there was a knock at their hotel room door. Peter smiled at his friend as Mike ushered him into the room, his smile widening as he took in the scene before him.

"Hey guys, looks good," Peter told the twins, glancing down at their plates. The twins just smiled as they continued eating. Peter looked over at Mike. "Um, do you have a few minutes that we could talk?"

Mike looked over at Connie, who simply nodded. "Sure," he said, gesturing toward the door.

The two men made their way to the elevator in silence. They found a quiet corner of the lobby and sat down facing each other. Peter broke the silence.

"I've been in contact with the Los Angeles DA's office," he began. "Right now we have Woll on two counts of aggravated kidnapping for the twins, one count of attempted murder for Maddie, and one count of murder for the convenience store clerk. He's being held here in Syracuse until we can get him transported to LA."

"I want to see him," Mike cut in.

"Mike," Peter sighed. He had expected this, and while he didn't think it was a good idea, he saw a steely resolve in his friend's eyes. He also knew that, were he in Mike's place, he, too, would want to confront the man who had brought so much harm to his family. He finally nodded. "Tomorrow morning," he said. "We're going to try to get him back in LA by the end of the week. I know you're probably anxious to get home, but I think you should consider staying in New York until he's been arraigned, You're all more than welcome to stay with us. Might be good for the kids to get some time with Benji and Charlotte."

Mike agreed absently, his mind already thinking of the confrontation with Woll that awaited him tomorrow. "Mike," Peter interrupted his thoughts, "there's something else we'll need to talk about."

Mike looked up at his friend, and could see in his eyes what Peter meant. "The death penalty?" he asked.

Peter shrugged, "The death of the store clerk makes him eligible. It is something we need to discuss, but I know Connie has strong feelings about it. Look, it's not something that needs to be decided, or something you even need to be thinking about right now. I just wanted to put it on your radar."

Mike simply nodded. Both men stood, and Mike reached out to shake his friend's hand. "Peter, thank you."

Peter dismissed his thanks with a shake of his head as the two men headed back upstairs. Peter retired to his room, as Mike made his way on down the hall. He slid the key card into the slot and opened the door quietly, just in case Connie was trying the settle the twins down to sleep. Mike moved farther into the room, and stopped short, his heart tightening with gratitude at the scene before him.

Connie was sound asleep on the bed, James and Claire tucked in tightly on either side of her. Connie had her arms wrapped protectively around her babies. Mike knew, it would be the most peaceful sleep his wife had had in days.

 **TBC**

* * *

 **A\N:** Please leave a review and let us know what you thought of the chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

**A\N:** My apologizes for the extra long delay in getting this chapter to you, I've had a pretty hard summer. My amazing co-author wrote the first part of this chapter for me. Hope you like it,

 **Disclaimer:** Neither of us own anything.

 **Spoilers:** Law & Order 20.16 "Innocence"

 **Warnings:** None

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

Mike looked over the heads of his two youngest children, trying to catch his wife's eye. As she finally finished buckling up first James then Claire, Connie secured her own seatbelt then settled back into her seat on the plane with a sigh. She turned her eyes toward Mike, favoring him with a small smile. Mike tried to return it as he settled back into his own seat, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. He turned for a moment to look out the window, the chattering from the twins filling his ears as they talked over each other nervously. Though they were both excited to finally be heading home, neither of them really liked flying, especially a cross country flight. Even the promise of seeing Maddie, Andy, and Jack at the airport in Los Angeles wasn't enough to completely ease their worries. Mike glanced over again to see Connie passing each of them a small bag of fruit snacks to eat as the plane was gaining altitude in hopes that this would combat any pain, they might experience from their ears popping. He heard the captain announce that they were about to begin their trip, followed by the sensation of the plane backing away from the runway. Mike was once again glad that they were able to get this evening flight. He was hopeful that once they were in the air, both kids would sleep for most of the trip. None of them had slept well last night, and Mike hated to admit it, but his own exhaustion along with the way he'd spent his morning had both combined to leave his nerves frayed and his patience short.

The plane began to gain speed, barreling down the runway toward take off. Mike felt a small hand slip into his own, and he turned to look down at James. The boy was looking up at his father, eyes wide and bottom lip trembling. Mike quickly replaced the hand James held with his free hand, wrapping his left arm around his son and holding him tight. He leaned down and kissed the top of his head, whispering in his ear, "I've got you buddy."

James did not reply, but Mike felt him release the breath he had been holding as the plane began to climb. He looked over, seeing Claire with her head buried in Connie's arm. Finally, the plane began to level off, and the children relaxed enough to release their hold on their parents. They each began snacking on the gummy fruits, James trading the strawberry flavored snacks for his sister's blue raspberry ones. About 45 minutes into the flight, both children finally nodded off, their mother following them into sleep just a few minutes later.

Leaving Mike alone with his thoughts, which automatically drifted back to that morning, and the trip he had taken with Peter to the Onondaga County Justice Center.

Connie had wanted absolutely no part in seeing Marcus Woll, and though she wished her husband would stay far away from him, too, she understood why Mike needed to go. She had only cautioned him not to lose his temper. She thought back to several years ago, when they were trying the murder case against Cedric Stuber, and he had hurled a racial slur at Connie. She remembered how Mike had lost his temper, got right in Stuber's face, and promised to make sure he died in jail.

The situation they were currently dealing with made that memory seem like a picnic in the park. Connie knew how much Mike hated Marcus Woll even before his latest assault on their family. "Please," she whispered to him that morning as she clung to him briefly before he left with Peter, "Please Mike, promise me, no matter what he says to you that you won't let him get to you. I don't care what happens to him, but I do care about you. Please don't let him hurt us anymore."

Mike had looked into her tear-filled eyes and kissed her quickly. "I promise," he whispered back to her.

Mike stayed quiet on the short ride to the jail. He was quiet as they passed through the security checkpoints. He was quiet as they signed in at the visitor's log and were led back to the secure visiting area. Mike sat stone faced in the hard-plastic chair, Peter at his side, and waited for Woll to be brought in. They did not have to wait long.

Woll shuffled in, his legs shackled at the ankles, not unlike his arms which were shackled at the wrist. Dressed in a bright orange jumpsuit, he slid into the seat opposite Mike, and shot him a sickening smile. "Hello Counselor."

Mike still remained silent. He had tried to plan this moment out in his mind all throughout what had been a mostly sleepless night after he had told Peter he wanted to make this trip. Mike had thought of all the things he wanted to say to this man who had caused such damage to their family.

But now that he was here, face to face with him, he couldn't find the words to begin.

Woll, of course, was never one to stay quiet for long. "So, tell me, Mike," he said, leaning as close to the table separating them as he could. "How angry is Connie? As I remember, she's so hot when she's angry."

Peter shifted ever so slightly in his seat, ready to reach out and restrain his friend should he jump across the table going for Woll's throat. That's what Peter would have wanted to do had he been in Mike's place. And though Peter noticed a barely perceptible tightening of Mike's jaw, otherwise he stayed in his seat, his face impassive, simply staring a Woll, who continued his taunting.

"Do you ever think about that Mike?" he asked, lowering his voice to barely above a whisper. "Do you ever think about that when you're having sex with her, that I was there first? Do you ever wonder if she thinks about me? If she's fantasizing about me when she with you?"

Peter watched Mike carefully, certain that this would be what finally pushed him over the edge. But instead, Mike just shook his head with a sinister smile of his own. "Marcus, you're going to be brought to trial soon. And once you are convicted, you will either be in prison for the rest of your life, or you'll be executed. And neither me nor my wife has any intention of giving you another thought. So, whatever your grand plan was, you've failed." Mike watched as Woll's smile fell and his face began to harden. "You wanted to tear my family apart, you wanted to hurt Connie by taking our children, but you accomplished none of that. Our kids are safe, and you are soon to be nothing but a distant memory." Mike stood, looming over Woll where he sat at the table. "You lose. I win. Game over."

And with that and knowing he had kept his promise to his wife, Mike turned and made his way out of the visiting room, Peter following behind him, paying no heed to the shouts of Marcus Woll following him out the door.

Coming back to the present, Mike gazed once again at his sleeping wife and children as they raced towards the other side of the country, towards the rest of their family and their home. He knew, however, that real closure would only come with Woll's conviction and sentencing. And that was still likely to be several weeks away.

* * *

 **Three Weeks Later:**

"Alright Maddie," Kristin Cooper, a young Assistant State's Attorney who had been assigned to assist Peter during the investigation led her into a conference room, "Have a seat," She said and waited for the young teen to sit down before sitting down herself, "Now I understand you've testified at a trial before. You know what witness prep is?"

"Yeah," Maddie slowly nodded her head as she tried to hold back her tears. She really wished that even one of her parents could have come in with her, but they were with Peter who was prepping James and Claire to testify. Her younger brother and sister were so scared and nervous she didn't want to ask her parents to support her.

Seeing the preteen begin to fidget in her seat Kristen sensed that maybe witness prep wasn't going to be ideal. She didn't know why Maddie had testified in court before, but she didn't; want the girl to get to upset, "I'll go and get your Mom or Dad." She offered as she stood up, "Do you want that?" She gently handed her a box of Kleenex.

"No," Maddie took a Kleenex and blew her nose, "They're with Claire and James. They don't like Mom or Dad to leave them right now. They're scared all the time." She placed her head on the table as she began to cry.

"You know what." Kristen sat in the chair beside her's, "I think you're a great big sister for thinking of your younger brother and sister first. But sometimes it's okay to be a little bit selfish and admit you need help."

"No!" Maddie screamed as she shook her head, "It's my fault they got kidnapped! I'm a horrible person!" She loudly sobbed. She tried controlling her breathing and using some of the other methods her psychiatrist had taught her how to use to calk herself own but nothing was working.

Kristin sat there unsure what would be the best course of action. She didn't know if leaving to go get one of her parents would make her even more upset of if she should say something. She was very relieved when there was a knock on the door and then Maddie's mother Connie walked into the room.

"Mom!" Maddie jumped up and ran to her, she cried, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay sweetie. It wasn't your fault," Connie assured her as she rubbed her back, "You were tricked." Connie knew Maddie was still blaming herself for what had happened and so she had decided to come and check on her. She was now very glad that she did.

Maddie shook her head, "But some of the things I sent him were true and they're not very nice. I'm afraid the defense is going to think I wanted James and Claire to be kidnapped. Just like the defense asked me what I thought was going to happen to me when I ran away." She used a Kleenex to wipe away some of her tears.

Connie didn't want to tell Maddie she was wrong; she didn't know what Woll's defense team would come up with. "Maddie," Connie looked at her, "You have to be brave, just like you were when you testified before. I know it's going to be hard and it won't be easy. No matter what though your father and I and your brothers and sister and all your family, we will always love you. You're not a bad person."

"Yes, I am," Maddie sobbed, "I knew I shouldn't be saying those things online, but I was just so frustrated and angry."

"Everyone gets angry and frustrated, Connie reassured her, "Believe me I texted some things to my sister about your father back when we were working together and dating. Sometimes we need to let of a little steam. But it is an important lesson for everyone to learn that you should really know who you're talking to online. Why don't you talk to your friends?"

"Telling people in person about what happened to me is hard," Maddie admitted, "I don't want them to treat me differently or think I'm a freak. What if they don't want to be my friend anymore?"

"The they're not true friends. Any real friend would only want to support you after you tell them. Do you want to talk to Ms. Cooper now or wait for another day."

"How are Andy and Claire doing?" Maddie asked,

"They're pretty scared but they know they won't ever have to face Woll in court. They're going to be in the judge's chambers when they testify. It'll only be the judge, Peter and the defense attorney. It's going to be live streamed into the courtroom."

"That's good," Maddie lowered her head, "I wish I could so that."

"So, do I," Connie told her honestly.

"I can answer some questions now. Can you stay Mom?" She asked Connie.

"Of course," Connie sat down beside her. "Then after when you and your brother and sister are finished, we can go pick up Andy from your aunts house and go out for dinner."

"Okay," Maddie tried to smile as she prepared herself to answer Ms. Cooper's questions.

 **TBC**

* * *

 **A\N:** I hope you liked it. Please review.


	9. Chapter 9

**A\N:** First an foremost…..I am so sorry! Please do not blame JusticeRocks - The long hiatus for our story is all on me, HazelId. Real life has intervened in big ways, small ways and good ways and not so nice ways in the past several months. And now here we are, with the world turned upside down, and maybe some escapism in the form of storytelling is something we all need now more than ever. I hesitate to make a promise on how quickly the next part of this story will come, and we are nearing the end of the journey for these characters. But I do promise that we will finish (as unfinished fics is one of my pet peeves.) Thank you for being patient with us (mostly me!) and thank you for reading and reviewing. And don't forget - wash your hands!

 **Disclaimer:** We don't own anything.

 **Spoilers:** None

 **Warnings:** None

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

Peter Stone looked up from the suitcase laid out on the bed in front of him. He sighed as he heard the text alert on his phone signal an incoming message. Again. He was certain it was another message from Mike. Peter was due to fly out first thing in the morning for the first pretrial hearing in the case of the People vs. Marcus Woll. Peter felt like he was as prepared as he could possibly be. All of his trial prep had been done cross-country, but Peter felt like he had all bases covered. Witness prep, even with Maddie, Claire, and James had gone really well. The enormous strain that had been placed on his friends' children was not lost on Peter. Maddie especially, had borne so much guilt for her part in the whole disaster that had led to the twins' kidnapping. The young girl had been working with a therapist and was making progress.

That did not mean that her father was at all happy with the prospect of his daughter on the stand. A fact that Mike had been quite vocal about throughout trial prep.

Peter understood, he really did. And were he in Mike's place, he would want to do everything humanly possible to protect his children, Peter was trying to walk the fine line between consoling and commiserating with his friend and doing his job as the riding prosecutor on the case. At times, like now, it was exhausting. Peter almost didn't even want to look at the incoming message on his phone.

His thoughts were interrupted by Anna's quiet voice as she entered the room. "Kids are both asleep," she told him, smiling softly as she came to his side. She surveyed that suitcase. "Anything I can do to help?"

Peter smiled slightly. "Want to reply to Mike's latest text for me?"

Anna shook her head. "Pass, but I can call in the reinforcements and get ahold of Connie if it will help."

Peter chuckled as he shook his head. "I get it. I understand his frustration," Peter sighed, "I just wish he would trust me and let me do my job."

Anna placed a soothing arm across his back, "Oh honey, he trusts you. There are dozens of lawyers in LA that could have taken this case, but he asked you.," she told her husband, "but you have to keep in mind, I don't think Mike Cutter is what anyone would ever call a 'stand on the sidelines' kind of guy, would they?"

Peter smiled sardonically, "No, he's definitely not. You're right." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "I'll miss you and the kids," he whispered just before their lips met.

Anna smiled, "We'll be there when the trial starts next week."

Peter nodded, "And then, maybe, once we convict Marcus Woll once and for all, we can all start to move forward from this."

* * *

Peter stood in front of the judge in the LA County Courthouse, thinking it really wasn't so different from the courtrooms he had appeared in both in Chicago and New York. The stakes were certainly higher in this case than probably any other case he had ever argued, but at least he felt comfortable on the playing field.

Though, if the defense got their way, he wouldn't be on the playing field much longer. The message he had received the previous evening was, indeed, from Mike. It was letting Peter know that the defense had just filed a motion for not only a change of venue but a change of counsel. Their argument was that Peter Stone was biased and too emotionally involved in the case to argue it in a professional manner. They were also petitioning the court for a change of venue, stating that with both Mike and Connie's high profile positions in the city, there was no way that their client could get a fair trial.

It was ridiculous, of course. Peter knew it, and he was sure the defense team knew it as well. Peter had argued that he was almost less biased as he was an outsider here, that any number of possible prosecutors here in LA would know who Mike was, would be one of his coworkers and friends.

It took almost no time at all for the judge to rule against the defense motions. Peter immediately turned to Mike sitting in the gallery, nodding his head as they cleared this first hurdle. Both men knew, this was just the beginning,

* * *

It was an odd contradiction. A large group, gathered all together, lounging in different spots around the living room after enjoying a meal and time together. They could be a family, together to mark a holiday, birthday, or some other milestone. Celebrating.

This group was indeed a family, by blood and by choice. However, they were not together to mark a celebration. This was a family that had suffered through a harrowing ordeal together. They were gathered now to give and gain strength ahead of the last leg of the journey. Tomorrow, Marcus Woll's trial would begin. After weeks of preparation and anxious waiting, the end was finally in sight, with just this final hurdle to cross.

Despite the gravity of the events that would follow in the morning, the mood in the Cutter household was if not jovial, than at least warm and congenial. Those present were doing their level best to ignore the elephant in the room that was the upcoming trial. The youngest members of the group, without even knowing it, were helping the most with this. Claire was entranced with baby Charlotte, enamoured with the idea of having her own "living baby doll" to play with. She was amazingly careful with the baby, and under the watchful eye of both Anna and Connie, Charlotte was enjoying the attention, too. Benji was enjoying having some more boys around and playing with in James and Andy. Maddie was quietly observing, tucked into a corner of the couch. She was able to muster a small smile at the antics of her brothers and sister, but she still didn't say much. No one pushed her, knowing that in the days to come the young lady would be thrust into a spotlight that all of them would give almost anything for her to be able to avoid.

Mike and Peter joined the rest of the group, having been placed on table bussing duties by their respective wives. Though Mike was anxious, he was trying his best to keep his emotions under wraps. He was aware that Peter's patience was wearing thin with him, and he didn't want to do anything to exacerbate the already tense situation between them. He had given Peter a wide berth throughout the evening.

And though most of those in attendance had not picked up on the distance between the two men, there was one person who had. And he decided it was time to do something about it.

"Mike," Jack McCoy said, standing up to meet the two men as they entered the room, before they could go their separate ways. "Do you have any of that Aberfeldy left?" he asked, referring to the bottle of single malt scotch that Jack had gifted to Mike when he left his job at the New York DA's office.

Mike looked momentarily surprised before nodding in the affirmative. "It's in my office," he told him.

Jack nodded once, placing an arm around each of the younger men as he ushered them down the hall. "You'll join us, won't you Peter?" he said, though it wasn't really a question. Peter and Mike exchanged questioning looks, but allowed themselves to be directed to Mike's home office.

No one spoke, but Mike couldn't hold back a chuckle as Jack took a seat behind his desk, propping his feet up on it in much the same way Mike remembered Jack lounging at his own desk back in New York after a long day's work.

It seemed like a lifetime ago.

Mike moved to a small table on the far side of the room. He poured three glasses of scotch before turning back to the other two men. As he handed a glass to each of them he heard Jack say, "Have a seat Mike," as he nodded toward the empty seat next to Peter. The two younger men studied their glasses for a moment as Jack took a sip from his own. Finally Jack spoke.

"Peter, how long have I known you?" he asked.

Peter looked surprised, glancing over at Mike before answering, "Since I was eight or nine i think."

Jack just nodded thoughtfully before continuing. "Did I ever tell either of you about the trial involving the drunk driver who killed Claire Kincaid?"

Mike and Peter exchanged looks again. They both, of course, knew who Claire Kincaid was. They had always heard the rumors of Jack's close relationship with his second chair. Before either of them could answer, Jack continued. "Peter you were just a boy so you probably don't remember, but you father was the riding ADA on that case."

Peter looked surprised, "No I didn't know. Dad never told me."

Jack shook his head, " He was and I had a hell of a time letting him do it, too," he said, contemplating the glass in his hand. "I lost count of the times I barged into his office with 'advice' on how he should proceed in the case. I just didn't feel like Ben realized how important the outcome was to me." His eyes seemed to focus on something far away for a moment before he added softly, "How important she was to me."

Mike and Peter exchanged glances, and missed Jack shaking his head to bring himself back to the present. "He finally got to the end of his rope with me and threw me out on my ass. We didn't speak for a long time after that."

And suddenly it all made sense to Peter. Why, when he was thirteen years old his father and Jack stopped talking to each other. Peter had remembered he had found it odd since Claire Kincaid had just died. He didn't see Jack again until he was seventeen and leaving for college, and that was only because he had sought him out one day at the D.A's office.

Jack sat forward, leaning across the desk to stare both of the younger men down in turn, "Don't let that happen here, either of you," He looked first at Mike. "Peter understands, more than you realize, what the stakes are here. He's doing his damndest not to let you down. So get out of his way." Jack then turned to level his gaze at Peter. "And give Mike some grace. He is in the most difficult position that a father could ever be in."

The two men, who had barely spoken for the past several days, finally turned to look at each other. It was Peter who spoke first.

"I won't let you down," he said.

Mike searched his gaze, and then nodded, "I know you won't."

Jack came around to the front of the desk, and the three men silently clinked their glasses together before simultaneously draining them.

* * *

At the same time, Anna caught Connie's eye across the family room and gave her the slightest of nods. They had a long talk earlier that morning about a situation that Connie felt like Anna was uniquely qualified to assist with. Time to put their plan into action.

"Hey Maddie," Anna said softly, "You mind giving me a hand putting this little one to bed?" She asked as she approached with a sleeping Charlotte in her arms.

Maddie looked up in surprise, but she quickly nodded her head. "Um, yeah, sure." She crossed the room and followed Anna up the stairs to the spare bedroom that they were staying in. She stood by while Anna changed Charlotte's diaper, handing over baby wipes and a clean sleeper at the proper times. She watched as Anna settled Charlotte into the Pack and Play next to their bed. The baby whimpered for just a moment before drifting peacefully back to sleep. Anna smiled down at her before turning to smile at Maddie, nodding her head toward Andy's room across the hall. Maddie knew that Benji would be sleeping there, and figured that Anna wanted to make sure his things were all situated. But instead, Anna sat down on Andy's bed, patting the spot beside her.

"Did your dad or Connie ever tell you that I was adopted?" Anna asked.

Maddie felt her eyebrows rise. "No. Really?"

"Mmhmm," Anna nodded. She told Maddie the story of how she had spent so much of her young life in foster care, before finally being adopted by the Valdez family. "I never really knew much about my birth parents," she shrugged as she looked at Maddie, "still don't."

"Wow," Maddie observed, "That must have been really hard. Not knowing your real parents."

Gotcha, Anna thought. "Oh I absolutely knew my 'real' parents," she said, "The people who gave me a home, who made me feel safe and secure, who gave me a last name, those are my real parents." She reached out and squeezed Maddie's hand. "Blood doesn't make you family. They loved me even though I wasn't theirs from birth." She dipped her head to catch Maddie's eye, "The same way that Connie loves you."

Maddie's face crumpled as tears began to stream down her face. She practically collapsed into Anna's arms, the weight of all that had been on her shoulders finally toppling her. "She can't love me like that. How could she love me like that?" Maddie sobbed. "Look what happened."

Anna just held her for a long moment before speaking. "Oh honey, Connie doesn't blame you for anything. She is so worried for you because she loves you so much. You are hers, beautiful girl. Nothing will ever change that." Anna let Maddie cry for several more minutes, until the youngster finally took a deep, wavering breath and sat up, wiping her face as she gave Anna a tentative smile.

"Thank you," she said, "thank you for telling me this."

Anna simply smiled with a shrug of her shoulders. "C'mon," Anna said, taking her hand and leading her out of the room. "I think it's time for the rest of the littles to get to bed."

They made their way downstairs, and Anna worked her magic, convincing all of the kids, even Andy, to follow her upstairs for a story. Maddie found herself alone in the family room with Connie, who was seated on the couch. They shared a long look, then Maddie simply walked over and curled up close to Connie's side. Connie wrapped an arm around her, holding her close and kissing the top of her head. "I love you Mom," Maddie whispered.

Connie smiled through the tears in her eyes. "I love you, too, baby."

* * *

 **A|N: (Justicerocks):** Thank you for reading this chapter and please review.


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